D23-SO Many Things Coming!

[WilsonFlyer]

So many huge announcements and...








I'm done.

 

[kilik64]

Pretty hilarious if you ask me how much they showed all the cool new lands and stuff coming to everything but the dang parks that were hosting the event. I doubt the stuff replacing dinoland they showed for Ak even happens either…

 

[BamaGuy44]

I’m pretty easy going about this kind of stuff, I’ll enjoy the parks with whatever changes. But these “announcements” are starting to make me irrationally angry it’s insulting at this point.

“Here’s some stuff we thought about in the shower and got artist renderings made. We may or may not do some, all, or none of it at some unspecified time in the distant future. Are you all as excited as I am???? Go team of geniuses!!!”

Uh, no. No we’re not excited. At all. I would rather have concrete announcements of lackluster stuff than a bunch of pie in the sky that will never be mentioned again.

Whew. Good rant. Thanks and don’t forget to smash that like button !

 

[RanDIZ]

Universal has taken the crown. Well, it probably had the crown for awhile now. Disney is just a disgrace of a company anymore and they did it to themselves. Such a shame.

 

[verobeachlover]

Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much from Destination D after the last expo - plus usually the Destination D announcements have been a bit more tame. Generally, in the past, in seemed that DD announcements were updates to current projects, while expo announcements were new and the major stuff.

I definitely think the “blue sky” stuff is getting old, but IMO I’m waiting out until the next expo. If they have major concrete announcements at the next expo (going back to something like the 2015 expo where Galaxy’s Edge and Toy Story were both announced), then I think a lot of the excitement will be restored. Otherwise, if it’s another event with “blue sky” ideas, I think they’re going to start having some more issues as things are starting to feel a bit stale compared to Universal which is getting Epic Universe. Unfortunately, with as slow as Disney builds stuff - we probably won’t see any future major announcement come to fruition until 2030 at this point, which has me speculate that park attendance/fan morale might decrease a bit over the next few years if nothing new is coming.

 

[zavandor]

Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much from Destination D after the last expo - plus usually the Destination D announcements have been a bit more tame. Generally, in the past, in seemed that DD announcements were updates to current projects, while expo announcements were new and the major stuff.

I definitely think the “blue sky” stuff is getting old, but IMO I’m waiting out until the next expo. If they have major concrete announcements at the next expo (going back to something like the 2015 expo where Galaxy’s Edge and Toy Story were both announced), then I think a lot of the excitement will be restored. Otherwise, if it’s another event with “blue sky” ideas, I think they’re going to start having some more issues as things are starting to feel a bit stale compared to Universal which is getting Epic Universe. Unfortunately, with as slow as Disney builds stuff - we probably won’t see any future major announcement come to fruition until 2030 at this point, which has me speculate that park attendance/fan morale might decrease a bit over the next few years if nothing new is coming.

I the next 3 years, on one side we'll have:
- a reimagining of a beloved flume ride. The new ride will certainly be great, but as great as the old one. So balance null
- a new restaurant
- a remaining of an animatronic show few care about
- a walkthrough attraction
- opening of a very new Epcot central spine which is almost identical to what was there before
- one 3D movie (yes, they still do those)

On the other side:
- a new theme park with incredibly promising zones. Harry Potter Fantastic Beasts and the ministry of magic! Universal Monsters!!! Super Nintendo Land!!!!!
And more
And even a new Dreamworks mini land in the studios, just because.

Even if the AK expansion happens, which is not even official yet, it'll be when? 2029? And it's two attractions Vs a full theme park, plus probably 3 or 4 more attractions.
If I'm excited about my next visits to Orlando is mostly because of Universal.

 

[DL1WDW2]

WDW has decided…..
Guests have low expectations …
Apparently standing in hot sun for hours is Disney Fun
3-5 hours for that scary cheap costume a castmember is forced to wear to meet Figment !!!
If we can endure that :
No need to be in a hurry to complete or build a new project.

 

[utktractor]

I wish they would place some emphasis on food. The several princess character dinners we did were very much meh. I think I would have had the same opinion if these were at regular prices, but they were $80+ / person and just not acceptable. It was right on par with a cheaper sit down restaurant -- e.g o charley's, applebees etc.
The best place we ate at was actually at our hotel - sebastian's bistro

 

[EddieMI]

Sorry, but anything that was not already in progress (Moana, Tiana etc.) that was announced is all still "Blue Sky". Nothing was promised other than that they are looking into it. So it may or may not happen. Remember Mary Poppins and original concept for Epcot. None came to fruition or full realization. You could blame the pandemic, but what is the excuse now?

 

[kilik64]

Sorry, but anything that was not already in progress (Moana, Tiana etc.) that was announced is all still "Blue Sky". Nothing was promised other than that they are looking into it. So it may or may not happen. Remember Mary Poppins and original concept for Epcot. None came to fruition or full realization. You could blame the pandemic, but what is the excuse now?

Stock price, bleeding cash on content side (over $1billion in box office losses over last 10 releases...), gotta pay Comcrap for their portion of Hulu early next year. Disney just doesn't have the capital to spend on the only thing that makes them money...

 

[peder]

WDW has decided…..
Guests have low expectations …
Apparently standing in hot sun for hours is Disney Fun
3-5 hours for that scary cheap costume a castmember is forced to wear to meet Figment !!!
If we can endure that :
No need to be in a hurry to complete or build a new project.

And I think they're just trying to save cash for larger strategic changes like finalizing the Hulu acquisition or other M&A activities.

 

[tjkraz]

My takeaway is that it speaks to the disarray at Imagineering. Park expansions are monumental decisions and should be treated as such. What they seemingly have in the works for MK and AK are once-in-a-decade projects. If they had charged headlong into the Zootopia and Moana concepts that were floated last year for AK, I don't think we would be in a better place today. Personally I like the concept art that they showed, along with the Central America theme. I realize others disagree but I think it fits well enough.

I'm also not opposed to the Indiana Jones ride conversion. The fact that Dinosaur routinely has a 5 minute wait by mid-afternoon while Indy is at ~60 minutes speaks to how much of a difference the theme makes, even when overlayed on the same ride system & track.

The key would be the Encanto attraction, which simply has to be a home run.

Is that enough for Animal Kingdom? No, but it's a start. I've been doing this long enough to remember DAK before Pandora. Even before Everest. They should do SOMETHING meaningful with the Rivers of Light theater and look to add another attraction elsewhere. I got the impression that the Zootopia Tree of Life attraction was 100% confirmed. That will help to some degree. I know my family hasn't visited It's Tough to Be a Bug for a good 8-10 years, while Philharmagic and MuppetVision are still staples.

If Epic Universe causes massive attendance drops at WDW, that's their own fault. (I don't really get a thrill out of doing the WDW vs USF thing. Competition is good...a rising tide lifts all boats...there are a dozen cliches we could apply. In the end, there is no clear "winner" and no "loser.") In a perfect world Disney would already be building something. But since we aren't living in that world, I'd rather they take the time to find the correct project(s).

Are Disney's finances playing a role? Maybe. But given that they have full control of the scope of park additions and the construction timeline, I don't know how big of a role it's playing in this...vagueness. If they were at a point in development where they could showcase virtual renderings and other details, they'd have done it. Even then, opening could still be 3...4...5 years away.

I'm less impressed with the "beyond big thunder" announcement. That feels like a 2030 project, if at all. Magic Kingdom doesn't "need" an expansion that big. Certainly not in comparison to the other parks. Personally I wish they would put some money into a Stitch's Great Escape replacement with a faster turnaround. Even if they are actively working on this Big Thunder project, it could have been omitted from the presentation entirely.

 

[EddieMI]

Stock price, bleeding cash on content side (over $1billion in box office losses over last 10 releases...), gotta pay Comcrap for their portion of Hulu early next year. Disney just doesn't have the capital to spend on the only thing that makes them money...

Yes all valid costs, but none are directly related to the parks. With Universal ramping up to be a week long stays worth you would think they would do something. They keep saying a rising tide raises all boats. But that does not work if you can only have the boat for 7 Days and have to pick one place to dock.

 

[Smugpugmug]

Well, at least Fantasy Springs is looking to be an incredible expansion. Can't wait to see it next year.

Test Track refurb was surprising but exciting. I rode it yesterday and it needs some serious TLC. The 2.0 theme sucks too.

 

[zavandor]

Personally I wish they would put some money into a Stitch's Great Escape replacement with a faster turnaround. Even if they are actively working on this Big Thunder project, it could have been omitted from the presentation entirely.

It's surprising how little space the Web Spiderman attraction takes but still feels like a satisfying experience. They cannot use the same theme, but I'm sure they can think something else and it could fit there easily.

 

[TinkB278]

Maybe I’m crazy but I’m really sad that it’s tough to be a bug will be replaced.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I'm also not opposed to the Indiana Jones ride conversion. The fact that Dinosaur routinely has a 5 minute wait by mid-afternoon while Indy is at ~60 minutes speaks to how much of a difference the theme makes, even when overlayed on the same ride system & track.

There's also that part that Indy is down what seems to be 20-50% of every day. Dinosaur not so much. Add to that the frequent view that AKV is a 1/2 day park and it's not surprising it's short waits later in the day.
Oh - and one can only take the pre-show there so many times. lol
I cannot complain about a 5 minute wait though - I wish more rides were closer to that.

 

[maui22]

Didn’t they also mention beyond big thunder mountain area during last years D23? I could swear they mentioned adding Villains area there.

Excited for the AK changes. Many trips we don’t bother going to AK anymore. We figure once every 2-3 years is enough.

At this point though, I am skeptical anything significant at the parks happen until Iger is truly replaced.

 

[disneydreamer781]

Maybe I’m crazy but I’m really sad that it’s tough to be a bug will be replaced.

This show is one of those that people either love or hate. I happen to love it but I've heard lots of people hate on it. I think the fact that it freaks out a lot of kids may be part of the reason. As much as I love it I'm excited about a new show. It's about time for a Muppets one too in addition to the Figment ride which every year I keep hoping will be announced. They could do so much with that attraction with the technology they have now. I really wish they would put both SSE and Mary Poppins back on their agenda.

 

[TinkB278]

This show is one of those that people either love or hate. I happen to love it but I've heard lots of people hate on it. I think the fact that it freaks out a lot of kids may be part of the reason. As much as I love it I'm excited about a new show. It's about time for a Muppets one too in addition to the Figment ride which every year I keep hoping will be announced. They could do so much with that attraction with the technology they have now. I really wish they would put both SSE and Mary Poppins back on their agenda.

My son is into things like construction vehicles and bugs and doesn’t really care much about anything Disney. The bug show was great for a kid like him…