New AK Ride In The Works

[ohanafamily]

On-Topic:
Do you think Everest could be a pay-for extra climbing wall like we are seeing at low end parks? I am not totally serious, but with the way things are going at WDW right now, I wouldn't dismiss the possibility...

Off-Topic:
I like US/IOA, but I've been there and done that. Unless they do some serious additions we won't have a desire to go back for several years.

At WDW, there is always something new and different happining...

JMHO...

 

[HB2K]

At WDW, there is always something new and different happining...

JMHO...

Like what? Parades? Marketing? Carny rides?

Or by different do you mean the hours, cutbacks & costs?

 

[Bob O]

AK has no thrill rides at all!!! They have some that try to be like Dinosaur but they fail as such.
This new wride would be a excellant addition to the park, but they also need other types of rides, a dark ride would be great!!!

 

[Eyesnur]

And yet your last visit was when, HBK?

 

[Testtrack321]

Many will find me praising Universal odd, but here it goes guys.

They built IoA correctly. I'm not saying its the best park, but they built it correctly. It hasn't needed a new E-Ticket because all their rides were built. No second phases, no 'wait and see' scenarios. Where as AK needs to add more rides, they didn't build the park correctly.

Now back the the main question: When Walt said 'A place for the family to have fun together' did he mean as a group going on all attractions, or where some times they split up, other times they stay together?

 

[Eyesnur]

Testtrack, while IOA was built more "wholelly" it has never been very succesful. Even now with some increased attendance they still aren't hitting what their original projections were (remember, they didn't even outdraw the 'lowly' AK last year). So it is really hard to say if this was the right way to do it or not, IMO...

Also remember that a lot of these recent attendance figures for IOA are a result of virtually giving the park away to locals. Only time will tell if this strategy (hoping the 'freebie crowd' periferal expenditures) will pay off.

 

[HB2K]

And yet your last visit was when, HBK?

December 2003.

Please illuminate me as to what "new & exciting" has been added over the past 2 years? How about 5 years?

And Testtrack hit the nail on the head....IOA was built complete straight out of the gate. It's held up for it's age MUCH better than DAK has.

It may not be everything to everyone, but it's one damn good park. Slap a Disney sticker on it, and opinions bantered around here would be much different.

 

[HB2K]

Also remember that a lot of these recent attendance figures for IOA are a result of virtually giving the park away to locals. Only time will tell if this strategy (hoping the 'freebie crowd' periferal expenditures) will pay off.

And Disney's gimmickry with DAK & Florida passes isn't a bit of the same?

 

[ohanafamily]

Originally posted by HB2K
Like what? Parades? Marketing? Carny rides?

Or by different do you mean the hours, cutbacks & costs?

Exactly, there is something different, whether it is a food and wine festival, a flower/gardening tropiary, acrobat show..This is just in Epcot.

What they do is change things up just enough to keep it interesting. These changes will probably go away with the other cutbacks...

There really is so much to do and see that each trip out there is a new experience.....

(OK, I am still in car 1)

 

[BRERALEX]

Please illuminate me as to what "new & exciting" has been added over the past 2 years? How about 5 years?

darn it i really wanted to jump at this and list a whole bunch of things but......im having trouble.....if you would have said...."what bad things have happened well then hey we could start backwards with my chicken finger.

millenium village was cool.

 

[pheneix]

>>>Even now with some increased attendance they still aren't hitting what their original projections were<<<

Here lately they have...

>>>Also remember that a lot of these recent attendance figures for IOA are a result of virtually giving the park away to locals.<<<

That is ABSOLUTELY NOT taking place. None of the discounts have put Universal into a loss scenerio like in California (then again, a very different management team oversees the day to day operations out there), and they have been paying off very well for them.

>>>Slap a Disney sticker on it, and opinions bantered around here would be much different.<<<

Truer words have never been spoken...

 

[Eyesnur]

Nobodys' talking or bragging up Disney's attendance guys, it's only IOA that some people want to pump up. Sure the Florida annual passes bump attendance some but they aren't at the giveaway level that US/IOA is. Most Florida/Georgia passholders come and spend a night or two and lots of money. Pricing built around locals may not provide this (Although they may very well, after all DL is predicated on the local). But at WDW I think Disney would lose money by offering 2 years for one in the long run. Sure the local Orlando crowd would snap it up but again these are not the real money spenders. Meanwhile the huge number of out of town AP'ers just saved a bundle. I doubt it would be recouped...As for US/IOA not being bumped by the locals, I'm not buying it. Attendance is up just enough to indicate that this is exactly what is pushing US and hurting Disney.

Listen, I have no problem with IOA. My daughter likes it just fine, although she doesn't love it. I am not enthused about going because I have no doubt that I couldn't ride Hulk or Dragons. Take these two out of the mix and Spidey is all I'd really be looking forward to...And believe me I'd like to ride it, but not for the cost of admitance...See I believe IOA to be a 1/2 day park...

As for the slap a Disney sticker on it comments...This is silly. I have no qualms with US/IOA, in fact if you'll remember I am the one who thought Disney should have bought them when they had the chance. But these parks are not the same quality through and through and as was mentioned earlier, park location weighs heavily into this as well as employee quality...

 

[HB2K]

Exactly, there is something different, whether it is a food and wine festival, a flower/gardening tropiary, acrobat show..This is just in Epcot.

What they do is change things up just enough to keep it interesting. These changes will probably go away with the other cutbacks...

There really is so much to do and see that each trip out there is a new experience.....

(OK, I am still in car 1)

At least you can admit it. Personally it takes a little more than a new bush or trash can to excite me, but to each their own

darn it i really wanted to jump at this and list a whole bunch of things but......im having trouble.....

Let me get you started...

Early Entry!

Doh!

 

[BRERALEX]

Let me get you started...

early entry uhuh i forgot...

we spoke and they listened......wait...no that was for Caracterrrrrrrr ooops my bad

 

[HB2K]

As for the slap a Disney sticker on it comments...This is silly. I have no qualms with US/IOA, in fact if you'll remember I am the one who thought Disney should have bought them when they had the chance. But these parks are not the same quality through and through and as was mentioned earlier, park location weighs heavily into this as well as employee quality...

If IOA isn't the same quality as a Disney park, where does that leave Animal Kingdom and California Adventure?

You're right, it's not the same quality, it's better.

Sure the Florida annual passes bump attendance some but they aren't at the giveaway level that US/IOA is. Most Florida/Georgia passholders come and spend a night or two and lots of money. Pricing built around locals may not provide this (Although they may very well, after all DL is predicated on the local). But at WDW I think Disney would lose money by offering 2 years for one in the long run. Sure the local Orlando crowd would snap it up but again these are not the real money spenders. Meanwhile the huge number of out of town AP'ers just saved a bundle. I doubt it would be recouped...As for US/IOA not being bumped by the locals, I'm not buying it. Attendance is up just enough to indicate that this is exactly what is pushing US and hurting Disney.

Please send me some links backing this statement up. I disagree with you whole heartedly.

NEVER has Disney given access to ANY of their theme parks during blackout periods on seasonal passes. But now they will let you get into Animal Kingdom at will. How's it different?

And don't even get me going on the discounts in Anahiem. It's not the same, so I won't bring it up for this arguement.

I'd just like to see some evidence that the AP market is night and day different between UO & WDW.

Doing that time travel thing again, eh?

Oops. December 2002. Based on your re-do of week old posts I thought the time travel thing was your deal scoop....

Thanks for telling me my opinion again.

I know my opinion would change....If IOA was build within WDW and AK was built at UO, I'd be in car 2 (the cutbacks bring me down a notch). That's a change of opinion

 

[HB2K]

I'm still waiting for the list of new and exciting things added to WDW over the past 5 years (other than shrubs & trash cans).

 

[BRERALEX]

technically didnt test track open within your five year period? or did i miss by like a month.

man if only pop century had opened last year you'd be in trouble trying to explain how PC aint cool, new and exciting.

But really at least they do have things on the horizon, like MS and now FM. (I'm still not in car #4 hopin to jump to #1 some day again.)

If they take my other chicken finger there will be hell to pay

 

[HB2K]

If they take my other chicken finger there will be hell to pay

Alex,

If they decide to take your other chicken finger away, it will just be because they're worried about your diet....hey, now that cut is magical!

 

[All Aboard]

Just some thoughts on the investment structure differences between UO & WDW. UO's infrastructure cost is much less than that of WDW. They have fewer hotel rooms to fill and fewer road dollars and bus gas dollars to recoup. Theirs is a simpler model. If they can keep the three hotels full and draw enough guests to keep their attendance fairly high, they just might be making decent money on their investment.

WDW has the potential to make much more money. But, it relies much more on a guest travelling to WDW, staying in one of their resorts, spending all of their dining dollars in WDW restaurants, etc. They've built such an expensive capital base that they require tremendous support.

So, while a local annual passholder spending an afternoon at a park doesn't deliver more $ to UO (as opposed to that same guest spending the day at WDW) WDW needs a greater portion of its guests to be the all-in type in order to not just pay for the theme park capital and operating budget, but for all of the other infrastructure as well.

Of course, UO has moved in that direction with the addition of CityWalk and the three resorts. But, think of it this way. Parks like Busch Gardens, Paramount & Six Flags survive on a very high percentage of local traffic. They need only cover the costs of a theme park and nothing more. So it seems that they can do that on mostly annual passes, plus one day tickets and food and merchandise purchases. That's one extreme. WDW is at that other.

So, what I am trying to say is that it's not likely that UO could survive on nothing but local annual passholders, their business model is one that permits success at a place closer to that on the continuum than where WDW is.

 

[Demosthenes]

Originally posted by HB2K
I'm still waiting for the list of new and exciting things added to WDW over the past 5 years (other than shrubs & trash cans).

According to Disney.com, the following items have been added in the last 5 years. It seems like there math is a little optimistic, and that some of this is older than 5 years, but here it is:

Walt Disney - One Man's Dream

Playhouse Disney – Live on Stage!

Primeval Whirl!

TriceraTop Spin

Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade

Disney Stars and Motor Cars Parade

Share A Dream Come True Parade

The Magic Carpets of Aladdin

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire - Play It!

The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge

Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge

Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin

Disney's Animal Kingdom Park

Fantasmic!

DINOSAUR

Kilimanjaro Safaris

DisneyQuest Indoor Interactive Theme Park

Disney's Coronado Springs Resort

Disney's Wide World of Sports complex

Disney's BoardWalk