Ruined Enchanted Tiki room and other attractions

[old lady]

They ruined the enchanted Tiki room by putting Iago as the new management and had an evil goddess that scared people.
The old tiki song was more native and apt to the show than a rock and roll song. They should have left it as it was. They shouldn't have put Bill Nye and Ellen into the Universe of Energy at Epcot. It was the best ride and they ruin it.If they wanted to included them into the park, they should had them in their own show.

 

[bdcp]

Those refurbs were years ago so why is this still an issue? Besides there was at least one other thread on basically the same subject recently-how Disney has ruined rides by refurbishing them.-um okay.

 

[tzolkin]

well, i (probably like the original poster) haven't been to any of the disney parks since i was a kid. so even those these refurbs were done a while ago it is "still an issue" for me too.

i am taking my kids on their first trip and one of the things my DH and i were looking forward to was taking them to the tiki room. we are disappointed that it has been changed so our kids won't see the show we did.

 

[One Year Pin]

Your kids WON'T see the same show you did. That is true. However, they WILL see the Tiki Room for the first time and will have their memories of it the way it is now. (If you take them). Those of us who remember things the way they used to be and bemoan the fact that they have changed sometimes forget that every generation makes its OWN memories.

I remember standing in line at IASW for almost 2 hours back in 1975 and listening to that song the entire time. It's something that my mother and I laugh about now. However, is it any less fun for people who now can't hear the song until they get inside the attraction? Probably not. My DW loves IASW and she never got to see it until 6 years ago.

For people who never saw an attraction the way it USED to be, it hasn't been ruined.

 

[labattblue]

My only beef is bulldozing very good family attractions like World of Motion and Horizons and turning them into thrill rides(I know some people wouldn't consider TT a thrill ride ).

 

[markºoº]

I don't mind the new Tiki room - the refurb was so long ago I guess I'm just used to the new show. Yes there is the evil goddess but there is nothing really scary about the show.

Unfortunately Disney needs to keep competitive in the most competitive entertainment market in the world. While many of us enjoy the old attraction (or old versions), many young people do not. They have become accustomed to faster paced attractions. It is just the nature of the world we live in today. Disney really has no choice but to update some shows.

 

[GQ's Ghost]

The OP just wanted to stir things up or else they wouldnt have out the stupid popcorn guy in the message.

Anyway.....Attractions need to be updatede as new technology comes on line. Lion King was a huge box offce hit 10 years ago when the Tiki Room was changed. Disney killed 2 birds with one stone. That attraction needed to be updated because no one went to it, and disney needed to increase brand recognition of the charecters in lion king.

Smae kind of thing with space ship earth and energy.

Now if theyd only replace country bears

 

[disnut8]

I guess no one on here ever plays Roller Coaster Tycoon. The goal there is to start out simple with a few carny-type rides. As you become more successful, more advanced rides become available. Meanwhile, your old carny-type rides aren't attracting people so you either have to suck it up and hope that someone in your crowd becomes nostalgic for the old times or you bulldoze it for something newer that will attract the attention of your guests.

Simple concept.

 

[Robo]

...so you either have to suck it up and hope that someone in your crowd becomes nostalgic for the old times or you bulldoze it for something newer that will attract the attention of your guests.

Or you just build MORE NEW attractions on your unlimited amount of low-cost real estate.

 

[Sleeping Becca]

Now if theyd only replace country bears

Nooooooo! Not the Country Bears!!!!

I visited Disneyland last spring and saw the original Tiki Birds Show with my DD and mom. DD(9) said she liked the new one better, mom said she like the original better. I like the new one better, but I do agree that the Tiki Goddess does scare young children unneccessarily.

I like the Universe of Energy much better with Bill, Ellen, Jamie Lee, and Alex.

Sure it saddens me when an attraction is removed or changed, but I always enjoy what they put in it's place (except for the Pooh playgroud they placed of 20,000 leagues), and normally enjoy the changes (Imagination not so much) that are made.

Now, I will lose it big time if and when the decide to 86 Carousel of Progress. I have my limits.

 

[lclark0621]

They shouldn't have put Bill Nye and Ellen into the Universe of Energy at Epcot. It was the best ride and they ruin it.If they wanted to included them into the park, they should had them in their own show.

Really?

I remember the old Universe of Energy show being so boring! It was always a good place to take a nap.

The new shoe with Ellen is at least interesting and fun for kids. My DS finds it very interesting. And I can still get in a nap.

Disney will refurb, rehab & replace rides. It is a fact of the business.

And we just need to roll with it.

Or you can be like the people who called for pickets outside Mr. Toad when they were turning it into Winnie The Pooh & refused to ride the new pooh ride.

 

[H.E. Pennypacker]

The OP just wanted to stir things up or else they wouldnt have out the stupid popcorn guy in the message.

Anyway.....Attractions need to be updatede as new technology comes on line. Lion King was a huge box offce hit 10 years ago when the Tiki Room was changed. Disney killed 2 birds with one stone. That attraction needed to be updated because no one went to it, and disney needed to increase brand recognition of the charecters in lion king.

Smae kind of thing with space ship earth and energy.

Now if theyd only replace country bears

Absolutely. While I really hate the changes they made to the Tiki Room, I completely understand why they made them. The reality is, if it had been as popular in the 90's as it was in the 70's, Disney wouldn't have changed it.

I had not been to WDW since 1990 when I finally went back in 2007. I have to admit that I was at first shocked with all the new branding - Lion King, Aladdin, Monsters, Inc., Toy Story, etc. But it's understandable and makes good business sense. Those are the current popular Disney characters. Another 15 years from now, Buzz and Woody, Simba, Mike and Sully, Zazu and Iago might all be gone, too, replaced with the current crop of Disney characters that the next generation grew up with.

Now if they'd only replace the Tomorrowland Speedway...

 

[thptrek]

The Speedway and Country Bears both really need massive overhauls.

 

[Sleeping Becca]

What about Snow White's Scary Adventures? They refurbed it to include Snow White but it still needs some major improvement, it scares the only audience it appeals to.

 

[willis37862]

Your kids WON'T see the same show you did. That is true. However, they WILL see the Tiki Room for the first time and will have their memories of it the way it is now. (If you take them). Those of us who remember things the way they used to be and bemoan the fact that they have changed sometimes forget that every generation makes its OWN memories.

I remember standing in line at IASW for almost 2 hours back in 1975 and listening to that song the entire time. It's something that my mother and I laugh about now. However, is it any less fun for people who now can't hear the song until they get inside the attraction? Probably not. My DW loves IASW and she never got to see it until 6 years ago.

For people who never saw an attraction the way it USED to be, it hasn't been ruined.

Great post and I agree 100%.

 

[puntagordabob]

The premise of the Tiki Room update in WDW was that they needed new content to make it a hit again... In many real world examples this is the Way It Is! End of Story...

BUT... apparently it is FLAWED when it came to The Enchanted Tiki Room... the WDW update is a failure at many levels.... but they tried so I salute the Imagineers for their effort. Sadly the Post-1998 attendance numbers speak volumes here.

Add DL's recent Update that kept the heart of the show intact that has been a Big Hit for DL. Yeah they took out the Offenbach number and hence shortened the show, but THAT was a Good Update (I liked the song of course but the show was simply too long for most people who wanted to plan their attraction schedule for the day).

Also some say people were mute on the changes to the WDW Tiki Room before they came online in 1998...this is true...even I was open minded on the changes until I actually saw them...they simply were not tasteful in my opinion. Most of us go to Disney to temporarily escape the Drama and Arguing in the Real World do we not? Also, consider longevity, the Under New Management might be funny for the first couple visits, but what about the next? Add the removal of some of the Best musical tunes that Disney has ever created (this is by their rating at Disney I read sometime back) and what is left to remember?

So in conclusion, the Update at WDW is not truly being supported by a majority of WDW parkgoers while the update at DL is.... I am not saying that all changes to all attractions is bad, but in the case of Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room, some things are meant to be left as they are...after all Walt loved this attraction so much that he had his named added to it, and are there any others in all the history of Disney that can make that claim?

 

[TDC Nala]

I like the Universe of Energy the way it is now...

and the old Tiki Room still exists at Disneyland.

 

[bobbiwoz]

A DGM here, who does think that the Tiki Room as it is is scary and doesn't expect to take her DGC there for many years. Since they made it new, yet they refer to the old, that doesn't make sense to me since so many never saw the old...they could do better, I'm sure.

My DGC loved riding the Tomorrowland Speedway as their DDad did before them!

Bobbi

 

[dgaston]

I have seen many versions of Tiki Room -- DL before and after rehab, MK before and after rehab. I strongly prefer MK Tiki Room Under New Management. Do any of you remember just how long "Let's all Sing like the Birdies Sing" goes on? And the thunder and lightening with the Hawaiian War Chant can be very scary at DL, too.

 

[puntagordabob]

Both versions are shorter than the original.... at DL the entire attraction underwent an update of the technology and the displays..also the DL version has removed the Offenbach number (sorry if I mis-spelled that) to shorten the length of the show.. it is now a much better duration at DL and the attendance numbers are far better than the WDW under new management has...

Irregardless of the number of times I see the WDW under new management show, it just doesnt seem anywhere the quality of the original production.

After 10 years of people saying and writing on their opinion of the original (especially after DL opened their original version back up with some minor changes) vs the new show, the over riding feeling you get here is that it is a flop. I imagine there are Imagineers even now being tasked with either making the WDW Tiki Room the same as Dl's, or the even brighter idea of running different show versions at different hours of the day and perhaps even bringing the Tokyo version in as a 3rd show... that way they serve all guests and will likely help the $ flow.... replace the wood sign outside or place just below it a very high-tech version of a LCD screen that displays show version times and which show is next up on the queue. ADD the mountains of merchandise they can now add to the shops regarding the multiple shows, and boom: big money barrels ahead...

Lets not forget... The Country Bears way back in the day had the capability to run THREE "random" different shows from what I read they simply over time phased em out... but in today's world, 3 different shows with a character or two difference etc would very much play into the Disney neeed to "innovate". Seems to me it is worth their consideration... and in the case of The Enchanted Tiki Room it really wouldnt be all the difficult....