Seems to me the big problem WDW faces is to lure repeat visitors without relying on $100 million attractions.
Why wouldn't they take a page from the playbooks of the outdoor venues or even Vegas in terms of creating headliner-driven attractions?
For example, in Winnetka Illinois there is a wonderful outdoor theater that features more adult oriented musical acts: Lyle Lovett, James Taylor etc. The theater is set up like an old-fashioned park where families bring their picnic baskets and relax for an evening. For a one-time construction fee, WDW could add a new attraction that by it's very nature would always be fresh, and offer a new reason to visit. Headline acts that could be rotated throughout the year.
I think the same principle could by applied to some attraction in the theme parks. I read once that one of the lead Imagineers was in favor of completely reinnventing the theme park experience with attractions that offer a more upsale appeal. Experiences that would last 2 to 4 hours and may even require an extra fee.
While I like dark rides as much as anyone, this concept appeals to me because the dark-ride formula has been absolutely done to death in Orlando and around the world.
Somewhere between Cirque and the Disney Institute, and Discovery Cover lies the potential for a new kind of theme park entertainment entirely. By building these type of attractions visitors wouldn't be focused on running in and out of as many rides as possible and then feeling jipped when there aren't a whole new set of $100 million rides the next time they come back.
Disney has created a great formula, the problem is everyone has duplicated it and the time has come to reinvent the theme park experience once again.
Why wouldn't they take a page from the playbooks of the outdoor venues or even Vegas in terms of creating headliner-driven attractions?
For example, in Winnetka Illinois there is a wonderful outdoor theater that features more adult oriented musical acts: Lyle Lovett, James Taylor etc. The theater is set up like an old-fashioned park where families bring their picnic baskets and relax for an evening. For a one-time construction fee, WDW could add a new attraction that by it's very nature would always be fresh, and offer a new reason to visit. Headline acts that could be rotated throughout the year.
I think the same principle could by applied to some attraction in the theme parks. I read once that one of the lead Imagineers was in favor of completely reinnventing the theme park experience with attractions that offer a more upsale appeal. Experiences that would last 2 to 4 hours and may even require an extra fee.
While I like dark rides as much as anyone, this concept appeals to me because the dark-ride formula has been absolutely done to death in Orlando and around the world.
Somewhere between Cirque and the Disney Institute, and Discovery Cover lies the potential for a new kind of theme park entertainment entirely. By building these type of attractions visitors wouldn't be focused on running in and out of as many rides as possible and then feeling jipped when there aren't a whole new set of $100 million rides the next time they come back.
Disney has created a great formula, the problem is everyone has duplicated it and the time has come to reinvent the theme park experience once again.