I mean, come on....what did you expect, people?
They will not...i repeat NOT add anything of significance for probably
several years.
Rides don't make money...and we should all know far too well by now.
What about fantasyland? Well...first off i think its a good thing.
But this isn't to give the kids new things to excite them covered by their ticket (though that damn well should be the driver at those prices)
I don't have the numbers in front of me...but i've studied them before...and the real profits come from Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and Downtown - specifically the marketplace.
It's about the GIFTSHOPS!!! all decisions are giftshop based and have been for 20 years. DVC? more people for the giftshops more parks? longer stays - more browsing in the giftshops. Downtown Disney "redevelopment"? ya..that ones a softball.
The only moves we've seen at the two "lesser" parks have been just for credibility on the surface...and they need them to be viable choices to keep the people on property for 7+ days...I wonder why?
Look at it:
MGM opened with few attractions in 89...star tours in 90 (which sucks and undoubtedly still does)...major addition in TOT in 94 (5 years)...major addition in Rockinrollercoaster in 99 (5 years)...sporadic minor additions and kids attractions here and there....car show in 2005 (ok...a clone but a decent sized deal...6 years)...major addition in TSM in 2009 (4 years)...and not much else - show replacements and shutdowns.
AK:
Opened rushed with little in attractions in 98...Asia opened in 99 due to the rush opening in 98...chester and hester was thrown up in 01 to cover the lack of substance in the park (because of declining attendence...a then unknown phenomena for disney that has repeated itself several times since)...Everest was to save face again in 2005 (that's a novella unto its self)...and nothing else...some show replacements and shutdowns.
They know exactly what they're doing...get them outta mgm and ak and to these places in the pm
1. DTD
2. MK
3. EPCOT
in that order...or even better:
1. MK then EPCOT
2. MK then DTD
3. EPCOT then DTD
or the coup de gras: MK then EPCOT then DTD!! oh, the revenue!
oh...and few humans can run for 8 hours and have anything left in the tank in the florida weather at the waterparks. So you know what those thrillseekers do after typhoon or blizzard. Alot of them "take it easy" in the evening. ya know what that means at WDW? i think the imagination can answer that question, right?
So back to fantasyland...i think it will be nice. but we all know its to keep more bodies in the park so they eventually gravitate to the registers, right?
Well if you didn't - then now you do.
But they are also going to suck the life out of it and call it "new" for probably a decade...or at least until all the paint has faded in the sun/ been chipped off and they cut the budget so it can't be repainted...
So it is still a dream at this point...another land to AK, IJA at DHS, "lucasland", Monster Inc Coasters, Rides in the World Showcase, new countries in the world showcase, new imagination!...villian's parks...new PI...
It's all really a fantasy.
MAYBE in 3 to 4 years you might get your monsters inc coaster...but i would expect more likely some kinda Cars ride. But you will see DVC...then DVC...then probably a DVC. And you'll see more outsourcing of stores and restaurants. and you might even see more stores and restaurants built.
But disney is over the ride and the show as their passion. There is no desire to innovate or add or create and certainly no will to put the capital in to do so. that worm has turned...
and then it was sold to the top bidder at property control.
But all the real additions that we...the fans...appreciate are merely thrown out as bones for PR purposes on an increasingly infrequent schedule. It's a shield for the money people.
I before i get jumped...i do think the expansion in fantasyland will be well done....I just have no illusion as to why its done or what it represents.
