andyman8
DIS Veteran and WDW Passholder
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2011
- Messages
- 4,664
Star Wars is coming to the parks and it's official! http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...-to-walt-disney-world-and-disneyland-resorts/
UPDATE (8:00pm EDT): With the Walt Disney Parks & Resorts behind us, here is a rundown of the announcements we got and those we didn't that we expected to. I'm just focusing here on domestic experiences.
What Was Announced
Jungle Navigation Co. Skipper Canteen - The rumored Jungle Cruise-themed restaurant in the Adventureland Verandah at MK will be opening sometime later this year (rumors indicating late November/early December).
Star Wars Land - See the post above. 14-acre lands coming to DHS and DL Park in California. Oh and the JTA is being enhanced.
Star Wars' Season of the Force Event - A new annual special event for Disneyland Park and DHS that will offer special treats, a SW overlay for DL's Space Mountain (or should I say HyperSpace Mountain), special entertainment, and a new firework show for DHS on weekend nights (I think this is only during the special event though that's ambiguous)
Star Wars Launch Bay - Like the one set to debut in Shanghai next year, Star Wars Launch Bay (sort of a SW character and preview center) is coming to DHS and Disneyland later this year (probably by the time the holidays roll around).
Star Tours Update - Most likely to keep the ride fresh in the face of new films and lands, ST will be getting some new destinations later this year. This is particularly of note because it implies that ST on both coasts won't be closing with these new lands opening up.
Toy Story Land - To consist of a previously announced expanded TSM! (third track), an alien saucers attraction, and a family-friednly coaster, this new 11-acre land at DHS takes guests to Andy's backyard.
More Specifics on "Pandora - The World of AVATAR" - We got an official name not only of just the land but also the new Soarin'-type attraction (AVATAR Flight of Passage) and confirmation of the long-rumored boat ride.
Other DAK Changes - Rivers of Light will indeed debut next Spring and soon guests will get to embark on a Sunset Kilimanjaro Safaris adventure with new African wild dogs and hyenas.
Soarin' Around the World - Epcot and DCA's Soarin' attractions will both get the new ride film, set to debut early next year in Shanghai), sometime next year, taking guests all around the world.
What Wasn't Announced
A Major $3B DHS Expansion - While we did get SW and Toy Story announcements, they were announced separately and I have to wonder if that was somewhat deliberately. I can tell you that what was announced may just barely total $1B but that's a maybe. They certainly didn't "package" all the DHS enhancements together like they did for DCA's re-do and I have to wonder why that was. I have a theory later down.
Cars and Other Pixar Properties at DHS - Toy Story was just one rumored component of the Pixar-related changes coming to DHS, but it was the only other thing announced other than SW. While Mr. Chapeck did talk about the success of Cars Land at DCA, he made no mention of bringing that to FL. One has to wonder if Cars Land Florida will ever see the light of day.
New Name for DHS - Not a single mention of DHS getting a name change. In fact, Mr. Chapeck and the Parks Blog posts used the DHS name rather frequently (though Mr. Chapeck did say Disney Hollywood Studio at one point during his presentation though I'd imagine that was just him mixing up words and such; the man's gotta be tired!). I know Mr. Iger let it slip that the park was getting a new name, but perhaps, they're not ready to market this as an "expansion" yet with not all the details finalized. I suspect they are waiting to brand it like that until they've got more definite detail and then will discuss the new name. That or Mr. Chapeck has seriously cut back the plans (something that would surprise me, considering he's a Consumer Products guy, so he knows just how well Cars merchandise does; with that knowledge, I doubt he'd eliminate that part of the plan). Only time will tell.
Walt Disney: One Man's Dream - No mention of the fate of that attraction. I didn't think we we're going to hear about it, but some were concerned that today could mark the end. For the time being, it seems OMD will live to see another day, though only for a short time...
Specific Dates - What probably annoyed me most was the lack of specific dates. Not only did we not get a timeframe (even the vaguest) on anything DHS-related, there were no dates at all during the presentation. No opening date for Froway @mesaboy2 calls it, no date for AVATAR other than 2017, heck there wasn't even a date for Shanghai Disney!
Disney Springs - Not really much on this either. No new tenants or concept art. I know they're still having a tough time finding more tenants to get to there 150 venues number, but I was surprised to see no mention of it really.
DCL Announcements - I was pretty sure we wouldn't see anything about this today, but Kevin Klose from the DIS Unplugged Podcast mentioned on Twitter that we might hear about two new DCL ships and a second island today. Not really a surprise, but I know many hear follow them, so I figured I'd include it.
Some Final Thoughts
While I won't say I'm anywhere near disappointed with today, it did surprise me a bit. I was surprised to see how intentionally disjointed they made the DHS stuff appear (to them, it was just a coincidence TSL and SWL were happening in the same park). Remember, going off what's been announced so far, that's only four new attractions in that park, and although that is a lot, that's way less than $3B (heck, because we're talking about two off-the-shelve rides, it could be less than $1B). I can tell you that this isn't the end of DHS-related announcements.
Also, with all of these small SW-related additions (i.e. Launch Bay, Season of the Force, etc...) and the lack of opening dates, it seems to me that these projects, especially Star Wars Land, will probably take longer than any of us would've liked. TBH, summer 2018 is starting to look less likely. That's most likely the reason you saw them emphasize the stuff coming within the year. Bottom line: when it comes to DHS, this is clearly a continuing conversation, as details slowly trickle out.
So what did you think? Disappointed with the presentation, excited with all the changes, thoughts?
UPDATE (8:00pm EDT): With the Walt Disney Parks & Resorts behind us, here is a rundown of the announcements we got and those we didn't that we expected to. I'm just focusing here on domestic experiences.
What Was Announced
Jungle Navigation Co. Skipper Canteen - The rumored Jungle Cruise-themed restaurant in the Adventureland Verandah at MK will be opening sometime later this year (rumors indicating late November/early December).
Star Wars Land - See the post above. 14-acre lands coming to DHS and DL Park in California. Oh and the JTA is being enhanced.
Star Wars' Season of the Force Event - A new annual special event for Disneyland Park and DHS that will offer special treats, a SW overlay for DL's Space Mountain (or should I say HyperSpace Mountain), special entertainment, and a new firework show for DHS on weekend nights (I think this is only during the special event though that's ambiguous)
Star Wars Launch Bay - Like the one set to debut in Shanghai next year, Star Wars Launch Bay (sort of a SW character and preview center) is coming to DHS and Disneyland later this year (probably by the time the holidays roll around).
Star Tours Update - Most likely to keep the ride fresh in the face of new films and lands, ST will be getting some new destinations later this year. This is particularly of note because it implies that ST on both coasts won't be closing with these new lands opening up.
Toy Story Land - To consist of a previously announced expanded TSM! (third track), an alien saucers attraction, and a family-friednly coaster, this new 11-acre land at DHS takes guests to Andy's backyard.
More Specifics on "Pandora - The World of AVATAR" - We got an official name not only of just the land but also the new Soarin'-type attraction (AVATAR Flight of Passage) and confirmation of the long-rumored boat ride.
Other DAK Changes - Rivers of Light will indeed debut next Spring and soon guests will get to embark on a Sunset Kilimanjaro Safaris adventure with new African wild dogs and hyenas.
Soarin' Around the World - Epcot and DCA's Soarin' attractions will both get the new ride film, set to debut early next year in Shanghai), sometime next year, taking guests all around the world.
What Wasn't Announced
A Major $3B DHS Expansion - While we did get SW and Toy Story announcements, they were announced separately and I have to wonder if that was somewhat deliberately. I can tell you that what was announced may just barely total $1B but that's a maybe. They certainly didn't "package" all the DHS enhancements together like they did for DCA's re-do and I have to wonder why that was. I have a theory later down.
Cars and Other Pixar Properties at DHS - Toy Story was just one rumored component of the Pixar-related changes coming to DHS, but it was the only other thing announced other than SW. While Mr. Chapeck did talk about the success of Cars Land at DCA, he made no mention of bringing that to FL. One has to wonder if Cars Land Florida will ever see the light of day.
New Name for DHS - Not a single mention of DHS getting a name change. In fact, Mr. Chapeck and the Parks Blog posts used the DHS name rather frequently (though Mr. Chapeck did say Disney Hollywood Studio at one point during his presentation though I'd imagine that was just him mixing up words and such; the man's gotta be tired!). I know Mr. Iger let it slip that the park was getting a new name, but perhaps, they're not ready to market this as an "expansion" yet with not all the details finalized. I suspect they are waiting to brand it like that until they've got more definite detail and then will discuss the new name. That or Mr. Chapeck has seriously cut back the plans (something that would surprise me, considering he's a Consumer Products guy, so he knows just how well Cars merchandise does; with that knowledge, I doubt he'd eliminate that part of the plan). Only time will tell.
Walt Disney: One Man's Dream - No mention of the fate of that attraction. I didn't think we we're going to hear about it, but some were concerned that today could mark the end. For the time being, it seems OMD will live to see another day, though only for a short time...
Specific Dates - What probably annoyed me most was the lack of specific dates. Not only did we not get a timeframe (even the vaguest) on anything DHS-related, there were no dates at all during the presentation. No opening date for Froway @mesaboy2 calls it, no date for AVATAR other than 2017, heck there wasn't even a date for Shanghai Disney!
Disney Springs - Not really much on this either. No new tenants or concept art. I know they're still having a tough time finding more tenants to get to there 150 venues number, but I was surprised to see no mention of it really.
DCL Announcements - I was pretty sure we wouldn't see anything about this today, but Kevin Klose from the DIS Unplugged Podcast mentioned on Twitter that we might hear about two new DCL ships and a second island today. Not really a surprise, but I know many hear follow them, so I figured I'd include it.
Some Final Thoughts
While I won't say I'm anywhere near disappointed with today, it did surprise me a bit. I was surprised to see how intentionally disjointed they made the DHS stuff appear (to them, it was just a coincidence TSL and SWL were happening in the same park). Remember, going off what's been announced so far, that's only four new attractions in that park, and although that is a lot, that's way less than $3B (heck, because we're talking about two off-the-shelve rides, it could be less than $1B). I can tell you that this isn't the end of DHS-related announcements.
Also, with all of these small SW-related additions (i.e. Launch Bay, Season of the Force, etc...) and the lack of opening dates, it seems to me that these projects, especially Star Wars Land, will probably take longer than any of us would've liked. TBH, summer 2018 is starting to look less likely. That's most likely the reason you saw them emphasize the stuff coming within the year. Bottom line: when it comes to DHS, this is clearly a continuing conversation, as details slowly trickle out.
So what did you think? Disappointed with the presentation, excited with all the changes, thoughts?
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Yah!!!!!!!!!!!
