Spend $4bn on Walt Disney World, What Would You Do?

[Goofyuk]

This is a game, i've come across on a different forum, and it looked entertaining enough that i joined the forum just to participate and lost all track of time in doing so, so i figured, why not bring a slightly adjuusted version to the Disboards?

Background: James Cameron has pulled out of Avatarland, the fine he had to pay for breaking the contract has been added to the Imagineering budget for the parks, which has been increased significantly to $4bn to be spent over the next three years. Disney are worried they have no in park developments in the pipeline and competing parks are looking fresher and are picking up steam.

You have been hired as a consultant, to reccomend where to spend the $4bn at WDW. It has been decided that they are not looking to open a new park or new resort and simply want to improve and expand what is already there. Please be at least somewhat realistic in regards to attraction footprint. You're not going to be able to fit Radiator Spring Racers in the space currently occupied by the Diamond Horseshoe for example.

Guideline Figures: We can't say for definite what any attractions or changes will cost so don't get too worked up about costs as long as it seems reasonable but heres the cost of some recent developments to help you work out rough costs for your ideas.
Simpsons Ride -$30m
Expedition Everest -$100m
Radiator Springs Racers - $200m
Journey Of The Little Mermaid -$20m
Kang & Kodus Twirl & Hurl - $2m

How would you spend your $4bn? My answer is in the next post down

 

[Goofyuk]

Here's my spending of $4bn


General ($5m)
1.Every animated Movie to have merchandise in at least one store in the parks, usually the most relevant store, such as: Basil The Great Mouse Detective in Epcot/UK Pavilion, Sleepy Hollow with the horror shop in Liberty Square - $2m
2 If you want Duffy in the parks and on merchandise, make a Animated short featuring him to go before the next animated theatrical movie - $3m


MAGIC KINGDOM ($238m)
This is where I'd spend the least amount.

Main Street ($2m)
1.Update Tinkerbell's M&G to include a visiting fairy -$1M
2.Add Rabbit to Crystal Palace Character Meals - $1m

Adventureland ($52m)
1.Re-theme Swiss Family Treehouse to Tarzan - $5m
2.Create a Frozen themed dark ride, where Elsa has used her powers to run a part of the jungle to snow and ice to allow Olaf to explore - $40m
3.Have a snow themed Meet & Greet area for Elsa & Anna -$5m
4. Arrendale Ices, a Ice Cream and frozen yoghurt counter service -$2m

Frontierland ($41m)
1. Set up a small ice cream and drinks counter service location on Tom Sawyer Island -$1m
2. Build Pocahonta's village, an open air play area for little kids - $10m
3. Dark Ride Based on American folk legends (Paul Bunyan, Johnny Appleseed, Davey Crockett, etc) -$30m

Fantasyland ($45m)
1.Expand Princess Fairytale Hall so it is doubled in size and have 4 sets of normal princesses (not A&E) meeting with their princes -$5m
2. Sleeping Beauty Dark ride - $40m

Liberty Square ($13m)
1.Open up a horror themed shop next to Haunted Mansion dealing with merchandise from the spooky Disney Movies - $3m
2. Replace Diamond Horseshoe with a new version of Mickey Mouse Revue -$15m

Tomorrowland ($85m)
1. Remove Stich's Great Escape and use the space for a Planetarium with 20 minute show looking at Space & our solar system - $20m
2. Retheme Tomorrowland Speedway to Radiator Springs (obviously a far smaller & simpler ride than the California version) and change entrance so it is classed as Fantasyland - $50m
3. Buzz Lightyear Meet & Greet themed to Star Command - $5m
4. Carrousel Of Progress to be updated - $10m


EPCOT ($1.028bn)
The hardest thing with Epcot was trying to find something, anything to go in the France Pavilion that wasn't a copy of something already in another part of WDW, until i remembered Hunchback.

Future World ($432.5m)
1. Captain EO gets removed and the theatre used for a 4D WALL-E show about recycling - $10m
2. Big signs outside the Innovation buildings advertising what exhibits are inside - $50k
3. Update the final room in Spaceship Earth to show TODAY - $450k
4. Reopen a Human Body Pavilion -$10m
4a. Inside Have a theatre showing "The Making Of me" - $2m
4b. Have a Body Wars style ride without any battles, just a tour around the inside of the human body - $60m
4c. Have a theatre show with a gym instructor teaching a collection of unfit Disney characters, (Pooh, Donald, Baloo, Smee, etc) how to get in shape - $10m
5. Have a Rocket Themed steel rollercoaster - $150m
6. Bring in Finding Nemo musical show from Animal Kingdom and open next to Seas with Nemo & Friends - $40m


World Showcase ($595.5m)
1. China- Create a Duelling Dragons double Roller Coaster at the back of the China Pavilion - $150m
2. Germany- Build a Geppetto's House Meet & Greet location for Pinocchio & Jiminy Cricket - $5m
4. Germany- Pinocchio's daring journey brought over from Disneyland (I know the original story is set in Italy but Disney set theirs in Germany) - $20m
3. Italy- Build a dark ride featuring a gondola ride through Italian landmarks and part works of art - $40m
4. USA- change Fife & Drum to "Sunshine State" which sells counter service Floridian food, such as Jambalaya, Gator Nuggets, etc -$2.5m
5. Japan- Create a video attraction in a custom built theatre, showing the variety of Japan from the cities to the countryside and the mountains -$15m
6. Morocco- Build an Adventures of Aladdin dark ride - $30m
7. Morocco- Restaurant Marrakesh to be changed to a "Family style" character dining restaurant for Aladdin characters -$10m
8. UK- 4D theatre ride featuring a crossover between the UK based animated characters (ala Phillimagic) featuring guys like Basil, Robin Hood, Dalmatians, Toad, Merlin etc - $40m
9. Italy- Build a dark ride featuring a gondola ride through Italian landmarks and part works of art - $40m
10. Canada- Outdoor log flume ride based on Brother Bear - $70m
11. France -Hunchback of Notre Dame dark ride - $20m
12. Build a Meet & Greet area themed like a hotel, separate from the pavilions, each day have 2 "visitors", characters who wouldn't normally do Meet & Greets, keep rotating daily they might find some random characters are very popular - $5m
13. Build a new Pavilion for Greece - $150m
13a Create a Simulator ride based around of tour of Greek ruins only to get stuck in the middle of a battle between Hades & Hercules - $50m
13b Build a Greek Meze restaurant - $15m
13c Ouzo & Cheese counter service spot -$3m



Animal Kingdom ($995m)

Asia ($145m)
1. Build Jungle Book Dark Ride -$100m
2. Build a new Yeti for Everest -$10m
3. Build a kids play area themed around King Louie's home - $10m
4. Add Mulan theming to Kali River Rapids - $10m
5. New Nature trek that loops around Kali River Rapids (unseen by each other) - $15m

Discovery Island ($100m)
1. Have a night-time lights/music show on Discovery River - $100m

Rafiki's Planet Watch ($40.5m)
1. film show using classic animated characters and those from films like Home on The Range to look at Animal Farming methods -$5m
2. Permanent Meet & Greet Spot for Rafiki - 500k
3. The waterhole, a utensil free restaurant used for animal themed character meals - $30m
4. Build dioramas from various forest or outdoorsy Disney scenes and place along the route of the Wilderness train ride, both ways. - $5m

Africa ($50m)
1. Soarin style ride taking you above the African savannah and watching the wildlife - $50m

Dinoland ($260m)
1. Redesign Dinoland to remove the roadside attraction aspect so it looks like a dino dig in the middle of the jungle - $50m
2. Change Nemo theatre in a museum dedicated to relatively recently extinct animals - $15m
3. Remove the Carnival Games - $1m
4. Replace Primeval Whirl with a Pterosaur themed looping coaster - $150m
5. Walking trail featuring Dino statues and animatronics - $40m

Beastly Kingdom ($430m)
1. Build a Beastly Kingdom section of the park focusing of mystical beasts, a lot of the (literal) groundwork has already been done by Pandora- $100m
2. Build a Unicorn riding steeplechase ride - $15m
3. Build a Villians Hide-Out Meet & Greet location - $10m
4. Atlantis/sea monster dark ride - $40m
5. Build a Minotaur's maze - $5m
6. Build a spinning ride called Medusa's revenge based on the Gorgon myth - $30m
7. The Pyramid, a semi-dark rollercoaster where you face Mummies, snakes, Sphinx, etc - $150m
8. Pharaoh's Palace, attached to the Pyramid, a Egyptian themed restaurant - $40m
9. World of Fantasia, It's a Small World Type ride - $40m


Hollywood Studios ($1.371bn)
I would rebrand this as Disney Studios and have different "lands" inside, most attractions are kept where they are.

Rebranding to Disney Studios- $100m

Hollywood Boulevard ($200m)
This would cover the areas currently called Hollywood Boulevard and take over most of Echo lake leaving the Star Tours & Backlot Express alone and also The Studio Backlot Tour, Sci-Fi Dine In & ABC commissary from Streets of America
1. Redesigning the area to look like one continual section of Hollywood including stars on the walkways -$100m
2. Rename Great Movie Ride, "Classic Movie Ride" and replace Searchers & Fantasia with Saving Private Ryan & Gone With The Wind - $50m
3. Use Theatre for American Idol experience to hold a live action theatre show featuring Disney characters at a fake Oscars style awards show -$20m
4. Remove the Hat - $5m
5. Sounds Dangerous to re-open, but as a film attraction showing how sound and audio work together to create a movie -$10m
6. Studio's Backlot tour to use space currently being used by the motor stunt show to add a 3rd stunt demonstration - $15m

Muppet Manors ($181m)
This covers the remaining Streets of America's area including the Honey I Shrunk The Kids Playground, the idea is the Muppets have turned their part of New York around their theatre into a tourist attraction
1. Retheme the area to look like New York streets continuously (most of this is here already) - $30m
2. Build Muppet statues for Photo opportunities - $1m
3. Honey i Shrunk the Kids becomes "Gonzo's totally safe, not at all dangerous play area" deigned to look like it's made out of old cars, junk, etc - $20m
4. Build The Electric Mayhem's spinner, a spinning ride with animatronic Electric Mayhem playing music in the centre -$20m
5. "Muppets at the Movies ride" similar to the Classic Movie ride but the scenes are done incorrectly with Muppets taking the parts of the original actors - $100m
6. Convert Pizza Planet to "Bork", Swedish Chef's own restaurant - $10m

Tatooine ($420m)
This covers the Star Tours ride and is then built outwards from the park
1. Designing the entire area - $200m
2. Update the Backlot Express to the Cantina - $20m
3. Pod Racer Roller Coaster - $100m
4. Tie fighter Dark Ride where you have to use your lasers to take out other ships - $50m
5. Sith Wars, Theatre show featuring Jedis facing off with members of the Force - $30m
6. Rebel Camp, Meet & Greet with some of the good guys - $10m
7. Alliance base, Meet & Greet with some of the bad guys - $10m


Pixar Place ($360m)
Use the existing Pixar Place and build outwards
1. Building the new expanded area - $100m
2. Incredibles simulation ride -$50m
3. Plane Tours a relaxing spinner ride featuring characters from Planes - $20m
4. Monsters Inc indoor rollercoaster - $100m
5. Way Of The Wisp, Brave themed dark ride -$50m
6. Paradise Falls, kids play area - $10m
7. Woody's Round Up, Cowboy themed character meal featuring Wood, Jesse, Bullseye & Stinky Pete -$30m

Animation Studios ($110m)
Covering the current Animation courtyard & Mickey Avenue as well as Sunset Boulevard up to The Beauty & Beast Theatre
1. Theme area to look like one large animation studio - $30m
2. Latest stars, a meet & greet that can be easily themed to the latest animated movie to meet the stars from that film - $10m
3. Animation Legends, a Meet & Greet with older Disney stars like Oswald, Horace Horsecollar, Three Pigs - $10m
4. Black & White animation Dark ride - $40m
5. Extend the One Man's Dream Museum - $20m



Downtown Disney ($120m)
Some of this might be covered by the ongoing refurbishment
1. "Screen to Screen" a store selling every Disney DVD/BluRay under one roof - $5m
2. "It started with a mouse" free museum looking at the Disney Parks, including models, concept art, etc - $20m
3. 2 nightclubs, 1 for House/Techno music, the other for Pop/Rock - $40m
4. Open a Spanish Tapas restaurant - $10m
5. New Detective themed Dinner Theatre show - $40m
6. Fresh Food store, with Deli and Greengrocers - $5m


Disney Quest ($124m)
This place is getting completely reworked
1. Rebrand as Litwicks Arcade including new paintjob and expansion -$40m
2. Hold a Ralph & Vanellope M&G inside - $3m
3. RETRO zone, area dedicate to classic games up to and including late 90's with version of Fix It Felix, Candy Rush in there as well -$20m
4. FANTASY zone, move all current Explore zone rides along with Buzz Lightyear and Might Ducks ride together - $5m
4a. New Sleeping Beauty simulation ride -$20m
5. CREATE zone, add a video game design attraction - $5m
6. COMPETE Zone the current Score zone and other competitive games move here -$1m
6a. Add Soccer and Golf Simulators -$10m
6b. Tron game -$10m
7. Pixel place, a new counter service restaurant - $10m


Water Parks ($14m)
1. New bank of 3 single rider slides in each park - $6m
2. Black Hole style ride in Typhoon Lagoon - $3m
3. Christmas themed Slow family Raft Ride at Blizzard Beach - $5m

and i've still got $100m to cover any shortfalls.

 

[MillauFr]

Seems to me the biggest weakness at Disneyworld is the transportation system between the parks and the hotels. I would remove the buses and monorails and install a grade separated rail system. My goal would to get guests from their room to the front gate at any park in 10 minutes. This would eliminate the one big advantage that Disneyland has over Disneyworld. At Disneyland you can stay offsite and still walk to the front gate in 10 minutes.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Whoooo, imagine the threads that would pop up about all those refurbishment and construction closings! ;-)

You have some neat ideas!

 

[omurice]

Pay off MM+ fiasco.
There should be about $15,000 left after all that, so buy a shiny new popcorn cart and put some benches here and there. Never seem to be enough benches when my feet hurt...

 

[ThinkTink09]

Love some of your ideas! You're hired

I especially like your EPCOT WS reimagining

 

[surferdave]

I love your ideas, but I would minimize the changes at MK even more; the biggest thing the whole complex needs (from a guest perspective) is greater motivation to go to the other 3 parks and stay there all day. I would bring the existing MK attractions up to spec (some of them need it badly), maybe fix Space Mountain to be less jarring like out west, and that would be it.

I would hope none of the 4 billion gets spent outside the parks, it looks like to me Disney Springs, downtown, whatever they call that shopping mall doesn't need additional funding.

I'm sticking to my plans to build the Arendelle Frozen Adventure at AK, similar to what you're planning in MK but where cold climate animal exhibits could add to the existing theme of AK.

 

[glassslippergirl]

I agree with PP. The money should go to parks, particularly to experiences included with regular admission (not a bunch of restaurants and shops that ask me to spend more money).

I'd focus the money on DHS and Epcot.

Epcot-- FW needs to re-enter the future. My ideas aren't as specific as OP's, but I'd use TT as a model for combining Epcot's original focus on education with guest interaction and thrills. The countries need rides-- a Japanese pop culture roller coaster at Japan, Frozen update at Norway, something like DL's Indiana Jones or Universal's Mummy to trace the history of China in a thrill ride, etc.

DHS-- two words: Star Wars. Remove LMA, Backlot tour, SoA, American Idol, old Sounds Dangerous building and create Star Wars land. Build a Death Star with a ride akin to Harry Potter at IOA; loved OP's idea of pod racing roller coaster, but I'd add the idea of somehow racing a few coasters (not sure how, I'll leave that to Imagineers); virtual reality light saber battles; permanent, indoor character M&G, etc.

 

[Goofyuk]

I'm sticking to my plans to build the Arendelle Frozen Adventure at AK, similar to what you're planning in MK but where cold climate animal exhibits could add to the existing theme of AK.

I really don't want to see Frozen become an area at AK. Because either it will be an area without any animal theming, even dinoland and Beastly Kingdom/Pandora is themed around the animals even if they aren't real, or they will use animals from a cold weather climate.

As we've seen at SeaWorld you can't bring those kind of animals into Florida without causing the animals huge problems, do we really want WDW to have an indoor polar bear show?

 

[Altoqueenkelly]

I really don't want to see Frozen become an area at AK. Because either it will be an area without any animal theming, even dinoland and Beastly Kingdom/Pandora is themed around the animals even if they aren't real, or they will use animals from a cold weather climate.

As we've seen at SeaWorld you can't bring those kind of animals into Florida without causing the animals huge problems, do we really want WDW to have an indoor polar bear show?

Animatronics

 

[surferdave]

I really don't want to see Frozen become an area at AK. Because either it will be an area without any animal theming, even dinoland and Beastly Kingdom/Pandora is themed around the animals even if they aren't real, or they will use animals from a cold weather climate.

As we've seen at SeaWorld you can't bring those kind of animals into Florida without causing the animals huge problems, do we really want WDW to have an indoor polar bear show?

There are thriving cold weather exhibits all over the country. I had actually already assumed polar bears would be too hard to get and planned on other things like Antartic penguins and puffins. I don't know the stories with Sea World polar bears (nor do I trust much of anything I hear about Sea World these days), but it's not a prevailing issue. I think my exhibit would fit in better than the areas you named, certainly better than the Avatar stuff.

 

[larryz]

How would you spend your $4bn?

I'd spend the first $500 million buying out Bob Iger's contract, and the remaining $3.5 billion on a new Star Wars themed park at WDW.

 

[ks13]

The biggest things I would do is beastly kingdom at ak, a dragon themed coaster, mix in all manors of fantasy creatures, and star wars land at hs, oh and sprinkle some marvel at hs. Maybe add some new lands at epcot, like Russia.

 

[MaestroTK]

I would use the money to reimagine tomorrowland in the MK. I would make it look Tron-like with translucent lighting, video panels ala Walle-e. Right now tomorrowland is sad to me.

Similarly, I would rework future world I. Epcot. Make the interactivity, look and design be the attraction.

 

[Altoqueenkelly]

I would use the money to reimagine tomorrowland in the MK. I would make it look Tron-like with translucent lighting, video panels ala Walle-e. Right now tomorrowland is sad to me.

Similarly, I would rework future world I. Epcot. Make the interactivity, look and design be the attraction.

LOVE this idea! But I think it would also be REALLY cool to do this to the Future side of Epcot

 

[disneymac000]

If i had 4bn to spend:
1. Up Castmembers benefits and salaries. The more happy the castmembers are the better they feel. (400 Million)
2. Upgrade everything from olds to hotel rooms for the guests. They are the reasons people come to the parks. (600 Million)
3.Fix the Yeti on EE (10 Million)
4. Buy back disney stock (2 billion)
5. Use the last billion to subsidize ticket prices so more people can afford to come to the parks.

 

[mousehockey37]

Let's see... with that much money...

1. Bring back the entertainers. Small strolling shows, etc... aka. FUTURECORPS!!!! (those who know me here and over on that other board, know I'm a drum corps nut, lol). Some people don't care for these groups, but I think these performers make the day worth it. It's interactive and something you don't get anywhere else at anytime.

2. New monorails and more of them!!! Connect everything to everywhere!!! With this new "system" you can have enough monorails running that it's 24/7 transport with each train still having the downtime for maintenance.

3. Merchandise. Good merchandise. And at a reasonable cost. A plastic monorail playset should not have an $85 price tag. There are many more things that can go here to make the parks stand out.

4. Food! Bring back the quality it once had. Get some good food service contracts and make things taste the way they should!

5. This isn't so much money, but it's involved. TLC in the parks. Get the trees, shrubs and grass back in the parks. It's hot enough already, let there be shade! Also, give each ride it's time to be fixed properly.

6. WDW is the most sought out of all the Disney Parks. Bring in the absolute best nighttime stuff. Wishes is nothing compared to some of the other nighttime shows, it almost feels like a ripoff right now compared to what DLP and others have.

7. Paying the CMs. There's a lot of threads about disgruntled and unhappy CMs. *sarcasm alert* There's nothing more magical than the 'happy' CM that is cursing their shift times and being just so 'happy' and 'magical' infront of guests... Reshift the focus of who the customer chain is, and the results will follow.

8. Suck it up some and lower the prices to the parks. I'm a firm believer that right now the higher ups are making WDW a place for the "super rich" as Richard Attenborough put it Jurassic Park. Put the money into the other things mentioned, lower some of the room rates and park admissions and you won't have to worry about "deals"... The quality will speak for itself and pay for itself when the rooms are booked solid.

 

[MaestroTK]

Let's see... with that much money... 1. Bring back the entertainers. Small strolling shows, etc... aka. FUTURECORPS!!!! (those who know me here and over on that other board, know I'm a drum corps nut, lol). Some people don't care for these groups, but I think these performers make the day worth it.

FUTURE CORPS...YES!!! As a Phantom Regiment alum, I whole heatedly agree!

Yes to the monorails too!

 

[Toadlover]

4. Carrousel Of Progress to be updated - $10m

The last scene, you mean? Its a little 2000, and nobody talks to their oven, as funny as that scene may be.

 

[Toadlover]

Build RETROLand and put Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Horizons and all the other extinct attractions that people have loved there.