Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

[disneylovin24]

When you're staying at a Disney resort, what is it about the presence of the other 30 or so resorts that pleases you so?

I actually really enjoy resort hopping and enjoying the atmosphere at the other resorts. I feel like a trip is not complete for me if I don't walk around the Poly, GF, Contemporary, BC, YC and Boardwalk among others!

Like I have said before, WDW is about a lot more than the theme parks for me. I like the different dining options the resorts have to offer along with the things to do outside of the parks on property. And this is why I think WDW will keep doing just fine without entering into a ride race with Universal, because it has a lot more to offer than rides.

The reality is if ride count is your priority neither of these parks are your best bet, I went to school in Utah and they have a local park called Lagoon that has twice as many rides as any of the individual Disney or Universal parks, no lines either, on an average day I'd probably get 20 coaster rides and another 30 flat rides, including repeat rides. On a good day at Disney I doubt I get 20 rides total, including repeat rides.

There are dozens of parks that put Disney and Universal to shame based on ride count but I think most of us would agree they aren't even in the same league as Disney or Universal when it comes to themes, parades, shows, nighttime entertainment, cleanliness, guest service, overall atmosphere, etc, etc.

I did a quick count and of all the Orlando resorts Epcot has the fewest number of rides I would be upset if I missed on a trip (6 with only 2 absolute must rides) but I'd still rather be at Epcot than Lagoon or even Six Flags.

I'd love for Disney to add more rides, especially at Epcot, but even if they don't I'll still go back because it's about so much more than rides.

If rides were our only priority, we'd stay home and just go to Worlds of Fun, our local theme park. And save tons of money.

I was willing to put up with less rides at Disney because with fastpass we could do a decent number of rides and still have time for the parades, characters and shows. It was truly an awesome balance. The best of both worlds. But with FP+ the ride part of our trip will take a lot more of our time than ever before (because of the standby lines we will be waiting in). So I feel the balance is all upset. And once I take a critical look at that balance, I have to reevaluate the entire thing.

IF rides are not your only priority then why does it bother you that FP+ will only give you 3 options a day? If you care about more than rides I feel like riding 3 rides via FP and a few others via standby is good and probably will cover all of your favorites. I don't care if rides are your top priority, but I don't get saying they aren't then going on about FP+.

So Disney has more hotels? So? They are hotels, you sleep in them. Honestly, the last thing I care about is how many hotels a theme park has. Rides? Yes. Attractions? Yes. But hotels? Yeah no.

To each is own, but the amount of hotels a theme park has should not be a deciding factor in how impressive it is. Especially when a few them are basically motels with big statues in front of them. And hey, I quite like staying at Pop Century so there is nothing wrong with it, but it's a hotel.

My family visited AOA this past trip and it honestly was one of the highlights of my trip. Little Mermaid, Cars and the Lion King are 3 of my favorite Disney movies and I really enjoyed walking around and seeing the theming. When I was younger I really enjoyed seeing the theming at the All Star Resorts.

 

[disneylovin24]

I will admit that rides at DLR have peaked my interest lately, but not enough to get me away from WDW because a trip is about more than rides. If I wanted to go to DLR I would probably not be able to rent a car so I would be confined to the DLR area. At WDW that is not a problem because there is so much to do in the range of Disney buses, but at DLR it's not that easy. I will go to DLR someday probably for a long weekend that I spend just in the park checking our rides, but for vacations I am sticking to the place with the most to do onsite.

 

[mom2rtk]

Oh my... we feel exactly the opposite! We only save $150pp or so on the airfare but being able to stay CLOSER to the park by staying at one of the hotels across the street for half as much as WDW, having the ticket cost less and finding the food to be cheaper helps us a ton! You don't waste time on busses and walking endlessly either so after a long weekend we've ridden everything, relaxed, had a blast, ate good food... we find WAY more value in going to DLR than WDW - these FP+ changes are just the final push we needed to take a nice long break from it. I'll know for sure in a couple more weeks!

We ended up spending more because after our experience of staying in the "Disney bubble" at WDW I really wanted to stay at one of the on-site hotels at DLR. I still have mixed feelings about it. I loved staying at PPH, and really took great advantage of the early entry every day. But the cost was high. But it is nice to know that if cost becomes an issue, we can always scale back by choosing one of the good neighbor hotels.

For me the biggest loss of vacation dollar was the fact that they won't sell more than a 5 day ticket. We ended up spending as much on a trip with 5 park days as we would at WDW for 10 park days (we usually stay at a value with free dining).

Regardless, we're still leaning toward DLR over WDW next year.

 

[mom2rtk]

IF rides are not your only priority then why does it bother you that FP+ will only give you 3 options a day? If you care about more than rides I feel like riding 3 rides via FP and a few others via standby is good and probably will cover all of your favorites. I don't care if rides are your top priority, but I don't get saying they aren't then going on about FP+.

I'm glad YOU think 3 rides with FP plus some standby is enough. For me it isn't. Ever ride that gets converted from fastpass to standby for me is less time for those other things I want to do.... meeting character, seeing parades and shows.

We like to mix things up. Some days rides are our top priority. Some days the other things are. I don't get why it has to be one or the other. Or why ANY of that would make me want to spend even a moment longer in a standby line than I did before.

Keep in mind a fair number of character meets are now fastpass enabled. If we like to do thrill rides, and I only get 3 fastpasses and use those on rides..... I now have to wait 90 minutes standby if I want to meet Rapunzel. Or maybe an hour to meet Mickey. Who wants to do that? Especially when I have not had to before.

 

[mom2rtk]

I will admit that rides at DLR have peaked my interest lately, but not enough to get me away from WDW because a trip is about more than rides. If I wanted to go to DLR I would probably not be able to rent a car so I would be confined to the DLR area. At WDW that is not a problem because there is so much to do in the range of Disney buses, but at DLR it's not that easy. I will go to DLR someday probably for a long weekend that I spend just in the park checking our rides, but for vacations I am sticking to the place with the most to do onsite.

We spent 6 days onsite at DLR without a car. And I never missed it. And we left with things still undone in the parks.

 

[morethananyonex]

Since people always like to remind others that DISers are not the norm, I think that needs to be said here.

While WDW has lots of things to do out of the parks for those of us who love and appreciate Disney and all the hotels, someone who is less enthusiastic about them will probably give you the side eye when you tell them that there's so many other activities, like browsing the stores in the hotels, walking around the grounds and eating at the restaurants, etc. Sure there's swimming and all the other recreational activities, but those can be found lots of places.

For people who are not as into Disney as we are, the rides and the parks are THE draw.

 

[disneylovin24]

I'm glad YOU think 3 rides with FP plus some standby is enough. For me it isn't. Ever ride that gets converted from fastpass to standby for me is less time for those other things I want to do.... meeting character, seeing parades and shows.

We like to mix things up. Some days rides are our top priority. Some days the other things are. I don't get why it has to be one or the other. Or why ANY of that would make me want to spend even a moment longer in a standby line than I did before.

Keep in mind a fair number of character meets are now fastpass enabled. If we like to do thrill rides, and I only get 3 fastpasses and use those on rides..... I now have to wait 90 minutes standby if I want to meet Rapunzel. Or maybe an hour to meet Mickey. Who wants to do that? Especially when I have not had to before.

I meet all my characters at character meals because I have never wanted to wait in line to meet characters. We obviously just vacation very differently, to each their own.

We spent 6 days onsite at DLR without a car. And I never missed it. And we left with things still undone in the parks.

Ok that is great that it worked for you, but I just don't think that could work for me. I could not spend 6 days straight in parks, I like having breaks. Like I have said, I don't think a DLR vacation for me would allow for as much relaxing as one at WDW does which is why I would rather save it for a long weekend some day. To each their own.

 

[disneylovin24]

Since people always like to remind others that DISers are not the norm, I think that needs to be said here.

While WDW has lots of things to do out of the parks for those of us who love and appreciate Disney and all the hotels, someone who is less enthusiastic about them will probably give you the side eye when you tell them that there's so many other activities, like browsing the stores in the hotels, walking around the grounds and eating at the restaurants, etc. Sure there's swimming and all the other recreational activities, but those can be found lots of places.

For people who are not as into Disney as we are, the rides and the parks are THE draw.

This entire thread though as been people who say they are really into Disney going on about how important it is now that Universal has more rides.

 

[mom2rtk]

I meet all my characters at character meals because I have never wanted to wait in line to meet characters. We obviously just vacation very differently, to each their own.

I agree, it sounds like we do vacation very differently. As long as you refrain from telling me what would work best for me on my vacation, I won't try to tell you what should work best for you.

 

[Viva Las Disney]

I will admit that rides at DLR have peaked my interest lately, but not enough to get me away from WDW because a trip is about more than rides. If I wanted to go to DLR I would probably not be able to rent a car so I would be confined to the DLR area. At WDW that is not a problem because there is so much to do in the range of Disney buses, but at DLR it's not that easy. I will go to DLR someday probably for a long weekend that I spend just in the park checking our rides, but for vacations I am sticking to the place with the most to do onsite.

If you ever get the chance DL is awesome. It's not as spectacular as WDW but it's amazing and there really is something special about being in Walt's park. Surprisingly many of the "same" rides are better at DL, Space Mtn is infinity better at DL..

Because it's much smaller you don't get the escape from reality that WDW provides but because it's much smaller you can hop back and forth between the parks and you get the greatest hits from all the WDW parks within walking distance from each other.

I'm lucky that I live within driving distance of DL so I can do weekend trips (Tue-Thu) fairly easily and can save WDW for my "real" vacation.

 

[jcemom]

IF rides are not your only priority then why does it bother you that FP+ will only give you 3 options a day? If you care about more than rides I feel like riding 3 rides via FP and a few others via standby is good and probably will cover all of your favorites. I don't care if rides are your top priority, but I don't get saying they aren't then going on about FP+.

I like things other than rides, but 3 FP+, without ride repeats, and now on a tiered system, is just not enough for me either. While it may not be all about rides, we do have our favorites and like to do them several times each. I have never waited in a line longer than 15 or 20 minutes because we go at rope drop and use FP wisely.

Now, we get one ride on Test Track at rope drop, and one ride on Soarin with FP+. If we want to ride either again we will be looking at a long wait. In the past, I enjoyed the atmosphere and entertainment at Epcot while waiting for my FP time to roll around. Now I can either enjoy the entertainment, or wait in line. Instead of getting it all, I have to choose.

Maybe you are happy with 3 FP+ (no repeats, tiered system) and 3 standby queues per day, but I certainly am not. At $100 per day for a park ticket, per person (on a short trip) *I* want more than 6 attractions, two of which I will have to wait in line for.

ETA: FP+ is directly responsible for my decision to NOT buy park tickets on this year's trip. We're going to MVMCP to ride the mine train, see the castle lighting, watch the parade and fireworks, and get in as many of our other favorite rides as we can. An MVMCP ticket is a good deal less expensive than a one day MK ticket, and we get the parade and fireworks in addition to the rides. Plus, in my experience, ride lines aren't too bad on party nights so FP+ (or lack of FP-) won't be an issue.

 

[KatieCharlotte]

This entire thread though as been people who say they are really into Disney going on about how important it is now that Universal has more rides.

I see each WDW park differently. At MK, I want to ride my old favorites over and over and soak up the atmosphere. No new rides ever needed for me, but I'd sure like the old FP system so I can spend less time in lines and more time on classic rides and atmosphere. I want the Mine Ride to open because I miss Snow White. But, I am worried about the new generation not appreciating the old classics as much as me.

In Epcot, I love to wander the countries at night, but I need more interesting rides in Future World to justify the price and spread out the crowds. At DHS, I want fresh new shows and more rides that can compare to US/IOA. I think AK is also not maximizing its potential.

Therefore, I will not necessarily be visiting MK less often, but I will be spending much of my time in Florida on all the other things available, from theme parks to cruises. Which is pretty much the opposite of what Disney wants. And if they want me to appreciate all their resorts, they need more budget friendly options for families of five.

 

[rastuso]

Man, there are some serious Disney Kool aid drinkers in this thread. It may be great and all for you to tour hotels, and waiting an hour for things that used to be walkons , but you have face the reality that YOU are VERY much NOT the norm.

And those of us who pay hundreds of dollars a day for park entry are there for the rides. The BIG ones. I'll give you a tip. You can stay at Universal, get a car, and spend a day driving to every Disney resort, to see those amazing statues. For FREE! Unis resorts blow away Disney, on value.. But I must admit Universal takes away the magic of ride rationing, and long standby lines by giving you that darn Express pass for free by staying at their heavily themed resorts. What are they thinking! Plus, they build coasters in less than three years, and build the whole thing indoors,with state of the art effects.. Again, robbing you of the magic of seeing Snow Whites cottage from a distance for a few seconds.

Of course, they also sell cheap multi day passes for short stays, so on days you do your hotel lobby tours, and go to the pool, you aren't being charged $100 per person for park visits you don't make.

And of course, Universal is a decade behind Great Wolf lodge, who has had these mystical bands that allow you to open your rooms, and charge things to them. If only someone could spend a billion dollars to upgrade that decade old technology to also control how many rides you get a day, then THAT company would get 100% of my vacation dollars forever!

Jason

 

[rteetz]

Man, there are some serious Disney Kool aid drinkers in this thread. It may be great and all for you to tour hotels, and waiting an hour for things that used to be walkons , but you have face the reality that YOU are VERY much NOT the norm. And those of us who pay hundreds of dollars a day for park entry are there for the rides. The BIG ones. I'll give you a tip. You can stay at Universal, get a car, and spend a day driving to every Disney resort, to see those amazing statues. For FREE! Unis resorts blow away Disney, on value.. But I must admit Universal takes away the magic of ride rationing, and long standby lines by giving you that darn Express pass for free by staying at their heavily themed resorts. What are they thinking! Plus, they build coasters in less than three years, and build the whole thing indoors,with state of the art effects.. Again, robbing you of the magic of seeing Snow Whites cottage from a distance for a few seconds. Of course, they also sell cheap multi day passes for short stays, so on days you do your hotel lobby tours, and go to the pool, you aren't being charged $100 per person for park visits you don't make. And of course, Universal is a decade behind Great Wolf lodge, who has had these mystical bands that allow you to open your rooms, and charge things to them. If only someone could spend a billion dollars to upgrade that decade old technology to also control how many rides you get a day, then THAT company would get 100% of my vacation dollars forever! Jason

But universal still is behind disney.... MK gets 17.5 million visitors compared to universals 7-8 million a year.... Disney does have state of the art rides and disney has gotten plenty of their rides done in less than three years. They also have a ton of indoor rides. Disney has over a dozen resorts to choose from at different rates and offer discounts all the time. Magic bands and FP+ go way past what great wolf has done and is on a much much larger scale... Universal has only two parks compared to disneys 4... Disney all now owns the right to Star Wars which will open the flood gates once disney adds Star Wars attractions to their parks Star Wars has a ton of fans and has been around for a very very long time it also has the potential to do much better than HP did when it first opened. Yes as you can tell I'm not a universal fan but if universal is so much better than why are they still behind disney....

 

[Mad Hattered]

Man, there are some serious Disney Kool aid drinkers in this thread. It may be great and all for you to tour hotels, and waiting an hour for things that used to be walkons , but you have face the reality that YOU are VERY much NOT the norm.

And those of us who pay hundreds of dollars a day for park entry are there for the rides. The BIG ones. I'll give you a tip. You can stay at Universal, get a car, and spend a day driving to every Disney resort, to see those amazing statues. For FREE! Unis resorts blow away Disney, on value.. But I must admit Universal takes away the magic of ride rationing, and long standby lines by giving you that darn Express pass for free by staying at their heavily themed resorts. What are they thinking! Plus, they build coasters in less than three years, and build the whole thing indoors,with state of the art effects.. Again, robbing you of the magic of seeing Snow Whites cottage from a distance for a few seconds.

Of course, they also sell cheap multi day passes for short stays, so on days you do your hotel lobby tours, and go to the pool, you aren't being charged $100 per person for park visits you don't make.

And of course, Universal is a decade behind Great Wolf lodge, who has had these mystical bands that allow you to open your rooms, and charge things to them. If only someone could spend a billion dollars to upgrade that decade old technology to also control how many rides you get a day, then THAT company would get 100% of my vacation dollars forever!

Jason

You mean Disney.

BTW...DL is a lot closer to the beach in case you wanted to catch a shuttle or rent a car. If you want to get lost in reality then I highly suggest Venice Beach.

 

[DorianDonP]

But universal still is behind disney.... MK gets 17.5 million visitors compared to universals 7-8 million a year.... Disney does have state of the art rides and disney has gotten plenty of their rides done in less than three years. They also have a ton of indoor rides. Disney has over a dozen resorts to choose from at different rates and offer discounts all the time. Magic bands and FP+ go way past what great wolf has done and is on a much much larger scale... Universal has only two parks compared to disneys 4... Disney all now owns the right to Star Wars which will open the flood gates once disney adds Star Wars attractions to their parks Star Wars has a ton of fans and has been around for a very very long time it also has the potential to do much better than HP did when it first opened. Yes as you can tell I'm not a universal fan but if universal is so much better than why are they still behind disney....

I'm not saying Universal is better than Disney. Better is subjective and both parks have their pros and cons.

But that question really oversimplifies things. For arguments sake, even if Universal was much better, that still doesn't mean they would overtake Disney in terms of attendance. Disney has built up a cache by being a destination for decades. It has become endeared to families for generations, while also leading the world in theme park technological innovations for a long time. A ton of people around the world still don't even know what Universal Studios is. Some think it's a Disney park. And the people who do know what Universal is, many of them still think of it as the "teenage park" that it got a reputation as in the 90s. It'll take more than a few years of Universal excelling to put a dent in that. And even then, as this thread shows, there are a ton of loyalist that will never even give Universal a try no matter what they do. Failing to overtake them in attendance really has nothing to do with which resort is better.

 

[disneylovin24]

Man, there are some serious Disney Kool aid drinkers in this thread. It may be great and all for you to tour hotels, and waiting an hour for things that used to be walkons , but you have face the reality that YOU are VERY much NOT the norm.

And those of us who pay hundreds of dollars a day for park entry are there for the rides. The BIG ones. I'll give you a tip. You can stay at Universal, get a car, and spend a day driving to every Disney resort, to see those amazing statues. For FREE! Unis resorts blow away Disney, on value.. But I must admit Universal takes away the magic of ride rationing, and long standby lines by giving you that darn Express pass for free by staying at their heavily themed resorts. What are they thinking! Plus, they build coasters in less than three years, and build the whole thing indoors,with state of the art effects.. Again, robbing you of the magic of seeing Snow Whites cottage from a distance for a few seconds.

Of course, they also sell cheap multi day passes for short stays, so on days you do your hotel lobby tours, and go to the pool, you aren't being charged $100 per person for park visits you don't make.

And of course, Universal is a decade behind Great Wolf lodge, who has had these mystical bands that allow you to open your rooms, and charge things to them. If only someone could spend a billion dollars to upgrade that decade old technology to also control how many rides you get a day, then THAT company would get 100% of my vacation dollars forever!

Jason

But the thing is, I don't spend hundreds of dollars to enter the parks. You pay as much as you will be entering your trip, my family pays less than 200 dollars a person because we go to usually just MK and EPCOT and don't park hop. So no, I am not paying hundreds to not ride rides and just drink the Disney Kool-Aid.

But hey if you want to look at it as drinking the Disney Kool Aid, first what are you even doing on these boards? Second, call it what you want but I love what I call the Disney touch/magic and I don't care what others think! I enjoy WDW and the atmosphere and the quality and will keep going back even if people think I am becoming a Kool-Aid drinking!

As for me not being the majority, eh I still stand by WDW is having no problem attracting people and I think that is because of what it has that other parks don't, which is the wide selection of things to do right on property in addition to classic theme parks and rides.

You mean Disney.

BTW...DL is a lot closer to the beach in case you wanted to catch a shuttle or rent a car. If you want to get lost in reality then I highly suggest Venice Beach.

Sorry but I hate the beach! More reason why I go to WDW every year! And I also am surrounded by beaches where I am from so for me a beach is not an escape from reality, it is too much a reminder of home.

 

[rastuso]

Sure, if you drink the Kool-Aid, and go to Disney every day for a week, and don't park hop, you can pay less. But I couldn't stay all day at any park except the MK. And if I only have 3 rides there with no wait, I sure as hell won't be staying all day. And frankly, I'd go crazy if I went to a WDW park every day for a week. I'd get bored. Especially knowing all the other incredible rides less than 10 miles away.

Disney has been coasting. They have been able to because of what other posters have said. Many folks will just keep throwing them money, based on memories. Heck, I've been going there for 40 years, and have plenty of memories. But I don't like redoing the exact vacation over and over. And WDW has really become that. It's so stale.

Not to mention that attendance numbers quoted sure didn't help. When they aren't adding rides, and attendance increases, that means quality of visit will suffer. If that gets bad enough, someone will be stupid enough to approve a billion dollars on a ride rationing program.

And sure, Disney owns Star Wars, and has for more than a year now. And still haven't announced a damn thing related to it. And if rumors are correct, their failing ride rationing program is a big part of the cause.

Universal bought rights to Potter, and announced a huge land soon after, and built the damn thing in less time than Disney has built a kiddie coaster. They also built Transformers, a whole other Potter area almost, a fully realized Springfield. And have plans for big things in Jurassic Park that will likely open before anythign Star Wars related does. I wish Universal had bought them. They would be half way done with their Star Wars land.

Disney has gotten tens of thousands of my dollars over my lifetime. And got a bunch last year at Disneyland, the far superior park, imho. But they have lost their way.

They don't push the envelope anymore. Their last big coaster, Everest, is decent, but then the big payoff is broken, and will never work again. I think Dinosaur was the beginning of WDW's spiral down. Disney took one of the greatest rides on the planet, to this day, and totally copied it. We're talking copying a ride that more than a decade after it opened is still a huge draw, having an hour wait most of the time. A ride that has a clone that also has an hour plus wait all the time. However, WDW's copy is essentially a walkon all the time because its concept and execution was so poor. And is now based on a movie that probably 90% of the people riding it don't even know existed.

I would LOVE for them to announce a Star Wars land with some amazing E ticket ride. But they just don't make amazing E ticket rides anymore. That is what Universal does now. The last state of the art E ticket Disney built in the states was probably Indy. I realize many people think Soarin' is some amazing ride, but I just don't get it. It's neat, but hardly incredible, and worth a long wait. And Radiator Springs Racers is just a really expensive dark ride with a low speed finale.

And yes, some folks don't go for E tickets. But they are in the very small minority.

And we'll see how many people go for rides pretty quick once everyone starts getting a lot fewer.

Jason

 

[rteetz]

I'm not saying Universal is better than Disney. Better is subjective and both parks have their pros and cons. But that question really oversimplifies things. For arguments sake, even if Universal was much better, that still doesn't mean they would overtake Disney in terms of attendance. Disney has built up a cache by being a destination for decades. It has become endeared to families for generations, while also leading the world in theme park technological innovations for a long time. A ton of people around the world still don't even know what Universal Studios is. Some think it's a Disney park. And the people who do know what Universal is, many of them still think of it as the "teenage park" that it got a reputation as in the 90s. It'll take more than a few years of Universal excelling to put a dent in that. And even then, as this thread shows, there are a ton of loyalist that will never even give Universal a try no matter what they do. Failing to overtake them in attendance really has nothing to do with which resort is better.

I'm not saying I wouldn't give them a chance but HP isn't going to get me there cause I'm not a fan of it but that's just me I know plenty of other people. I've only been to universal once and it just wasn't for me. I also understand that many people are unfamiliar with universal and their parks.

 

[disneylovin24]

Sure, if you drink the Kool-Aid, and go to Disney every day for a week, and don't park hop, you can pay less. But I couldn't stay all day at any park except the MK. And if I only have 3 rides there with no wait, I sure as hell won't be staying all day. And frankly, I'd go crazy if I went to a WDW park every day for a week. I'd get bored. Especially knowing all the other incredible rides less than 10 miles away.

As I already said, I don't go to a WDW park every day while I am there. I go to 2, MK and EPCOT, deeply enjoy spending a day at both then spend the rest of my trip relaxing in a variety of ways that WDW offers.

Disney has been coasting. They have been able to because of what other posters have said. Many folks will just keep throwing them money, based on memories. Heck, I've been going there for 40 years, and have plenty of memories. But I don't like redoing the exact vacation over and over. And WDW has really become that. It's so stale.

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" The reason I don't care if I get the same WDW vacation over and over again, even though I don't, is that the vacations are so enjoyable for me I can easily repeat them over and over again and won't care. But I don't think WDW vacations are always the same anyway, you can stay at different resorts or eat at different restaurants. My family has been going every year since 1997 and our most recent trip was nothing like we had ever experienced before because we went for NYE and had new experiences surrounding that. Same when we went in June for the first time in 2012, WDW offers different experiences at different times of the year which changes it up to.

Not to mention that attendance numbers quoted sure didn't help. When they aren't adding rides, and attendance increases, that means quality of visit will suffer. If that gets bad enough, someone will be stupid enough to approve a billion dollars on a ride rationing program.

And sure, Disney owns Star Wars, and has for more than a year now. And still haven't announced a damn thing related to it. And if rumors are correct, their failing ride rationing program is a big part of the cause.

Universal bought rights to Potter, and announced a huge land soon after, and built the damn thing in less time than Disney has built a kiddie coaster. They also built Transformers, a whole other Potter area almost, a fully realized Springfield. And have plans for big things in Jurassic Park that will likely open before anythign Star Wars related does. I wish Universal had bought them. They would be half way done with their Star Wars land.

Disney has gotten tens of thousands of my dollars over my lifetime. And got a bunch last year at Disneyland, the far superior park, imho. But they have lost their way.

They don't push the envelope anymore. Their last big coaster, Everest, is decent, but then the big payoff is broken, and will never work again. I think Dinosaur was the beginning of WDW's spiral down. Disney took one of the greatest rides on the planet, to this day, and totally copied it. We're talking copying a ride that more than a decade after it opened is still a huge draw, having an hour wait most of the time. A ride that has a clone that also has an hour plus wait all the time. However, WDW's copy is essentially a walkon all the time because its concept and execution was so poor. And is now based on a movie that probably 90% of the people riding it don't even know existed.

I waited over a hour to ride Dinosaur last week. I would like the name to be Countdown to Extinction again, but I don't care what the name is, it has nothing to do with the ride. And honestly, I have no idea what ride it even copied and I am sure many others who visit WDW don't either so I don't think that matters to people.

I would LOVE for them to announce a Star Wars land with some amazing E ticket ride. But they just don't make amazing E ticket rides anymore. That is what Universal does now. The last state of the art E ticket Disney built in the states was probably Indy. I realize many people think Soarin' is some amazing ride, but I just don't get it. It's neat, but hardly incredible, and worth a long wait. And Radiator Springs Racers is just a really expensive dark ride with a low speed finale.

I adore Soarin' and looking at the wait times it still has it is safe to say a lot of other people do. I have never seen Soarin' have below a hour wait no matter what time of year I have been, I think that is a sign of how good that ride is doing.

And yes, some folks don't go for E tickets. But they are in the very small minority.

I disagree with this, if people cared about big rides I don't think they would be going to WDW at all. In that case I think people would be heading to theme parks that specialize in thrill rides and coasters. I think when people come to WDW they know they are not getting the absolute greatest rides in the world but that is ok because of other things WDW has to offer.

And we'll see how many people go for rides pretty quick once everyone starts getting a lot fewer.

Jason

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