How does Hall of Presidents handle non-consecutive terms?

[BrianL]

Time to retire this attraction and replace it with the Hall of Secretaries of the Interior (Wait Time 0 minutes).

I mean, the wait time for HOP is 0 minutes now, so....

 

[whiteness]

I mean, the wait time for HOP is 0 minutes now, so....

For Carousel of Progress, Country Bears and Tiki Room, too. Shall we replace them all with Muppets? Please, no...

 

[BrianL]

For Carousel of Progress, Country Bears and Tiki Room, too. Shall we replace them all with Muppets? Please, no...

Well, that was in response to the "Hall of Secretaries of the Interior" meaning it's not going to lower the wait time. Most of these shows seat enough that you are only ever waiting one show cycle (COP of course constantly loads and unloads one bay). I don't necessarily think that's the reason to change it, but moreso I do wish they would change the way HOP is presented to avoid some of the issues people currently bring to it.

 

[whiteness]

Well, that was in response to the "Hall of Secretaries of the Interior" meaning it's not going to lower the wait time. Most of these shows seat enough that you are only ever waiting one show cycle (COP of course constantly loads and unloads one bay). I don't necessarily think that's the reason to change it, but moreso I do wish they would change the way HOP is presented to avoid some of the issues people currently bring to it.

Fair enough. I love the fact that Disney parks have enjoyable (in my opinion, anyway) attractions with little or no wait time. And I'd personally like to preserve as much of Disney's history as possible. I know it's not intended to be a museum, but still...visiting Disney feels like coming home. Sometimes, that's just what I need. I doubt I'm alone in that.

 

[BrianL]

Fair enough. I love the fact that Disney parks have enjoyable (in my opinion, anyway) attractions with little or no wait time. And I'd personally like to preserve as much of Disney's history as possible. I know it's not intended to be a museum, but still...visiting Disney feels like coming home. Sometimes, that's just what I need. I doubt I'm alone in that.

I agree. There is a place for those not quite as popular, people eating attractions. Not everything can be an E-Ticket. That said, I don't mind when things need to change, or even better, evolve. I wouldn't necessarily want to lose the general theme of the HoP, but changing the show, even injecting the Muppets, is something I could roll with.

 

[whiteness]

I agree. There is a place for those not quite as popular, people eating attractions. Not everything can be an E-Ticket. That said, I don't mind when things need to change, or even better, evolve. I wouldn't necessarily want to lose the general theme of the HoP, but changing the show, even injecting the Muppets, is something I could roll with.

If done tastefully and respectfully.

My main concern is that Muppet shows are generally comedic and sometimes parodies. And there's nothing wrong with that as long as it is clearly intended and understood to be entertainment. But, if an attraction is nominally intended to be an educational take on American history, I hope Disney is careful to make it clear to guests (who might be young or unfamiliar with American history) what is "real" and what is comedic or parody.

I would honestly not be in favor of replacing an "educational" attraction with an "entertaining" one. Disney has already done quite enough of that (I'm looking at you, EPCOT.) If Disney can thread the needle and accomplish both, wonderful. But I'd rather they err on the side of educational in this case, rather than dilute and (let's hope not) corrupt the original purpose of the attraction.

 

[OKW Lover]

I went to the HoP today. It had been a very long time since I was last there. I thought the show was very well done. There were no audience outbursts durning any of it and a smattering of applause at the end.

 

[Artygal90]

An interesting history question came up over dinner tonight while discussing whether or not to make time for HoP on our upcoming trip. Googling has not helped me find an answer, but maybe you all can.

What happened at the Hall of Presidents between August 1974 at the Hall of Presidents when Nixon resigned and Ford stepped in as VP, and January 1975 when Ford was inaugurated as President after winning the 1974 election? I know they wouldn't have had time to add or change an animatronic for either man (if they were doing animatronics of sitting presidents then?) but did they change the roll call?

 

[seashoreCM]

If no hanging chad or other recount was needed then Disney has 2 months (until inauguration) to prepare a new animatronic which should be plenty of time. Otherwise a brief shutdown of HoP would be acceptable.

{I} would honestly not be in favor of replacing an "educational" attraction with an "entertaining" one. Disney has already done quite enough of that ( {I}'m looking at you, EPCOT.)

In my earlier lifetime, after a few visits to WDW I felt I was not intellectually stimulated enough so I did not go again for many years. Then, after the turn of the century I made several trips in quick succession. As a result there were some attractions (Horizons for one) I never saw.

 

[BostonEd]

An interesting history question came up over dinner tonight while discussing whether or not to make time for HoP on our upcoming trip. Googling has not helped me find an answer, but maybe you all can.

What happened at the Hall of Presidents between August 1974 at the Hall of Presidents when Nixon resigned and Ford stepped in as VP, and January 1975 when Ford was inaugurated as President after winning the 1974 election? I know they wouldn't have had time to add or change an animatronic for either man (if they were doing animatronics of sitting presidents then?) but did they change the roll call?

Back then, they did not have the current president make a little welcome speech. So, Nixon would just have been sitting/standing there. I wish they would go back to that. Having the current president make a little speech, no matter how innocuous, is a recipe for disaster, as we have seen.

 

[Becky2005]

I wish they would go back to that. Having the current president make a little speech, no matter how innocuous, is a recipe for disaster, as we have seen.

This is one reason I like the idea that if you are going to have the current President speak, reciting the oath is a great option. All Presidents have done it and no extra speeches needed.

 

[whiteness]

This is one reason I like the idea that if you are going to have the current President speak, reciting the oath is a great option. All Presidents have done it and no extra speeches needed.

Back then, they did not have the current president make a little welcome speech. So, Nixon would just have been sitting/standing there. I wish they would go back to that. Having the current president make a little speech, no matter how innocuous, is a recipe for disaster, as we have seen.

What might be cool is if attractions had QR codes to allow guests to access "more to the story" or "additional media". So, for example, for HoP, you could access the oaths/speeches for all of the presidents that had them, not just the most recent one, plus more about them: links to Photos, Video and Audio from various sources. So people could learn more if they chose to, but they didn't have to sit through stuff they weren't interested in.

Other attractions could benefit from that approach: imagine being able to see the various iterations of Carousel of Progress, and maybe the Imagineers' take on what 2030's room might look like if they built it. Or what used to be at a given location: so, for example, you could still audio-visually explore Tom Sawyer's Island after it is replaced by the new Cars Land. Or maybe listen to the original Country Bears songs if you wanted.

Where it wouldn't be too disruptive to other guests' experience, Disney could let guests view information overlays in real time on their cellphones using the App.

I'll bet Disney will do something like this, eventually. Some of it already exists online from third parties, anyway, but if Disney made it available through their app it would be more accessible for all guests.

 

[mrsap]

Disney World's Hall of Presidents Closing for Refurbishment in January 2025

This refurbishment may include the addition of a new animatronic figure representing President Donald Trump, reflecting his return to the presidency in the 2024 election. The Hall of Presidents, which features lifelike animatronics of all U.S. presidents, has historically closed for updates following each inauguration. Most recently, the attraction closed on January 20, 2021, to add President Joe Biden and reopened on August 3, 2021. During Donald Trump’s first term, the Hall was closed on January 17, 2017, and reopened on December 18, 2017.

Disney has not announced whether the current refurbishment will follow the tradition of giving the sitting president a speaking role or whether the format of the show might be adjusted in response to evolving guest expectations. Past closures for updates have typically lasted between six and eight months, although the exact duration can vary based on the scope of the refurbishment.

 

[redrosesix]

I may be in the minority, but I like HOP the way it is presented. Being a big history buff, I think it is great to showcase our relatively short history especially to young people that don't seem to be getting the basics. Manner of dress, the way they speak and the historical details in architecture make for a continuity in our US history. Unfortunately, most people will never get to the White House or US Capitol.

I am sorry, but either cheering or booing is unacceptable in this setting. Hopefully, OP was just joking!

A few more wrinkles and a new speech and I think #45 and #47 should be announced separately with the speech at the end.

This. It's the same reason I like wax museums. it puts your presidents in the context of their times even with their speeches

I'm Canadian though so I won't do it more than every 4 years I was going to write in my favourite president but I think they're all controversial in some way.

 

[Dznefreek]

They don't say/do anything.
They are just announcing their name and not their numbers.
Grover Cleveland was pres twice and they do not go back to him.
I believe . . . . . . . .