Originally Posted By Disneyday Could somebody please talk me down about this? Theme Park Insider recently had rumors that they are about to announce the Night Kingdom/Jungle Trek thing. Here's what bothers me besides the lame concept, once Disney buids this elite "park" for the Four Seasons crowd, will they ever consider a real theme park for the U.S.? I mean if people are willing to pay $250 to get into a bare bones $500 mil. "park", what incentive does the company have to build additional real parks for the "non-Four Seasons crowd"?
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I would really be surprised if they do anything like that in the next 10 years. With what I've read about the plans for the ride, there is very litttle that really sounds all that unique to me. Yah, you get to feed a hippo or ride a zip line, but neither of those really excite me much. As for why Disney would ever build another real-sized park, it's because they're cheaper (per guest) to operate, have a wider appeal, and can get many more wallets on property each day. If Disney thought that the solution to making money was charging a lot, then they wouldn't have ever built the All Stars and Pop Century. I don't know if we will ever see a 5th full-day park, but if we do, I don't think it will be for a long time anyway. The WDW experience is already pretty full, so I would guess they are going to work on what they have to make each park a full experience before they add something new.
Originally Posted By Disneyday Good points. I do believe they'll work on the four parks before adding a new real one. I have heard a rumor that the 5th park may be the next big park project after the next China Disneyland.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA Just what Disney needs -- an exclusive theme park for the social elite. Sounds like something Michael Eisner's wife would have dreamed up back in 1992. Blecch.
Originally Posted By WilliamK99 How come Sea World never received such criticism when they opened up their "elite" park.. Oh yeah, I forgot, Disney fans and their obvious double standards...
Originally Posted By trekkeruss <<what incentive does the company have to build additional real parks for the "non-Four Seasons crowd"?>> Disney does not have incentive to build a 5th "real" park in Florida. Maybe when the economy is going gangbusters, but now, no way.
Originally Posted By MPierce I think this concept died a while back, and remains dead, and buried for the perceivable future.
Originally Posted By MPierce >> How come Sea World never received such criticism when they opened up their "elite" park.. Oh yeah, I forgot, Disney fans and their obvious double standards... << Well, you could possibly say that Sea World fans have no standards by your analyasis.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA I can't believe Sea World would build some high end park for the social elite. Just what the world needs. <-- first stated by Jim in Pasadena, CA -- April 2003 Happy now?
Originally Posted By CDF1 Rather than build a new park simply for higher-end customers, wouldn't it just be easier for Disney to offer upscale services and/or add-ons for their current parks? They already have behind-the-scenes tours and other special experiences, so what is to stop them from offering things like "unlimited Fastpasses" or other add-on experiences designed to meet the needs of those guests willing to fork out the additional cash for such services? Disney already offers benefits to resort guests over the normal rank-and-file day visitors so these types of programs would be nothing new. It all seems like it would be a case of determining if there is the demand for such services and then fill that demand with a supply of such services if that market did indeed exist.
Originally Posted By Disneyday A lot of people were mad about this park concept and wondered why they don't just spend the $500 mil. price on additions to existing parks. From what Jim Hill has said, this new exclusive park may have been "promised" to the Four Season's people for their guests. They supposedly got mad when Disney shelved the plans. Jim Hill said that they planned on making a lot of money through exclusive merchandise at the park. I don't see this happening. This whole idea reminds me of the ill-fated Disney Institute.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 It's a lot deader than Big Red ... it wasn't just grazed. It was riddled by a firing squad.
Originally Posted By MPierce Didn't the poachers actually kill Big Red when KS first opened, and that was to traumatic so they only grazed her later on?
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 ^^I never saw that ... but I believe it wasn't Big Red ... you saw another elephant carcass and realized what an issue poaching was. Then, Eisner saw it ... and death left quickly. I wonder if the boobies (or melons or ya-yas) in Golden Dreams scared him as well?
Originally Posted By sjhym33 Big Red was killed during the previews of Kilimanjaro Safari's. You past her lifeless body along the poachers chase scene. It scared the heck out of children and there were many, many complaints at guest services. Eisner felt the attraction needed the strong statement but backtracked when presented with the guest survey results. The storyline was then changed to Big Red was injured but OK and Little Red was safe. That was when they still had a CM with a gun at the jeep arresting the poachers and the jeep went screeching by earlier in the scene.
Originally Posted By MPierce I remember the CM with a gun, then it became a walkie-talkie, then no CM at all. I first rode KS in January '99, and I don't remember seeing an elephant coapse so they must have got rid of it quick. I miss the jeep whizing by, and the poachers shooting. I still love KS, but it has definetly lost some key elements over the years.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 I was at DAK in week two of its operation (unlike Opening Day at EC, Disney-MGM and DCA) and NEVER saw any dead elephants, so it definitely was killed in previews.
