Originally Posted By TDR_Fan I know it's still much too early to know for sure, but is the proposed Soarin' concept still being considered or has it been rejected? There was all this talk about it being placed in Mediterranean Harbor and having a Da Vinci theme, but where exactly did all these rumors come from?
Originally Posted By barboy "being placed in Mediterranean Harbor and having a Da Vinci theme" Please, please.... I beg for this to materialize. I'll be the first in line.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo My understanding is this project is currently on hold as olc does not have the funds.
Originally Posted By leemac Soarin' with Jiminy Cricket was just one idea being tossed around for TDS's expansion (the majority of which is now on hold). The problem with Soarin' is that its proposed location requires a lot of backstage reorganization. That program was due to begin this year (and includes razing the largest admin building back there) but it appears that is on hold too. Soarin' would impact the backstage docks and with both Mythica and BraviSEAmo! being so large in scale all of that dock space is used.
Originally Posted By TDR_Fan Surely we'll see some kind of expansion before/for Tokyo DisneySea's 10th Anniversary?
Originally Posted By Mr X I suppose that really depends on how well things go til that point. Lee, you didn't elaborate, but are things on hold because of financial stress, or are things on hold because they are happy with the numbers "for now"? I admit, I know very little about how this stuff works (TDL, for example, seemed to be "just fine" to me when they invested a HUGE sum of money in the Pooh ride...whereas DCA seems to be sinking a lot of money in to "prop things up")...I admit that's a rough approximation (was TDL stagnating, and that's why they went for expensive Pooh? Of course, would love to hear thoughts from anyone even though it's Lee I directed the question to.
Originally Posted By leemac It is a combination of things at the moment. A lot of future development will be planned around the budgeted cash flow from TDL's 25th. If that tanks or underperforms it will impact the next 5 Year Plan. TDS is doing okay. Not great, but okay. Merchandise and F&B revenue is definitely down as is the average ticket price (due to more promotional tickets being sold). Still good but not enough for OLC to justify another $200m bet like Tower. The other issue is that OLC is using TDR cash to develop its other interests both Disney and non-Disney related. The group is getting pretty complex and they are desperate to diversify away from both their Maihama base and their reliance (or over-reliance) on Disney.
Originally Posted By leemac <<Surely we'll see some kind of expansion before/for Tokyo DisneySea's 10th Anniversary?>> That isn't really the preferred method at any Disney park any more. Tower was definitely the anomaly but then the 5th had kicked off nearly 2 months prior on July 15. Pooh opened in an off-year (September 2000) and Monsters will open right at the end of the 25th (January 2009). It is about sustainability of attendance numbers and that is difficult if you open everything at once. DL's 50th was the perfect example: Monsters, Inc. Space Mountain, Buzz, etc. all opened at separate times. When you rely on the fan base you need to give them a reason to come back again and again.
Originally Posted By TDR_Fan Well, as long as a new E-ticket attractions comes in the next 5-10 years I'll be happy
Originally Posted By Malin I'm more curious to see what OLC have planned for the 25th Anniversary that is going to give them the results needed to keep them and shareholders happy.All I've heard about is the promising new daytime parade and thats it.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN Just what we need at TDS...another "Soarin". Isn't it bad enough we got stuck with a bad carny coaster in Lost River delta? Why should an attraction that has virtually no theming go into TDS at all? Isn't it bad Aquatopia has that title already?
Originally Posted By SuperDry I think a Soarin'-like ride in TDS would be an excellent addition. It's hardly an off-the-shelf ride like Raging Spirits - Soarin' is a true Disney original in every sense. As far as it having "virtually no theming," there's no reason that a TDS incarnation would be the same way. I would imagine that an entirely new film would be shot for it, and with that, they more or less would have a blank slate as far how they wanted to theme it. Look at TDS ToT and how rich of a theme and backstory was developed from scratch.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN Unless they make the suspended chairs look like Leo DaVinci's flying machines, the attraction will still lack the essencial Disney difference: theming. I am not sold on this project yet, nor do I want to see TDS become yet another attraction clone heaven, like it has become with TOT and Raging Hormones.
Originally Posted By Kayoss I don't think Soarin', while a great family ride, is innovative enough for DisneySea. I'd much rather see an elaborate "Journey"-scale original E Ticket then another 'plussed' clone. Plus, no matter how wonderful they do it, at the end of the day it's just a simulator. DisneySea has an original simulator, Stormrider, and that's really all it needs. Aquatopia is the only outdoor LPS-based ride in the world. At night the attraction looks absoutely glorious, with all the little hoverboats glowing and spinning about. By day, it's just a kenetic world of motion. In my opinion, not only does Aquatopia 'fit' with the whole Discovery Port theme, but literally defines the area. Someday, I suggest you get yourself over by the attraction as the park closes so that you may watch in awe as all the hoverboats align themselves, single-file (all while glowing) into 'storage' mode. It's beautifal, strange, and exactly what a next-generation Tomorrowland should look like in my head. I love Aquatopia... although I guess I'm in the minority.
Originally Posted By TDR_Fan <<an elaborate "Journey"-scale original E Ticket>> *drools at the thought" << It's beautifal, strange, and exactly what a next-generation Tomorrowland should look like in my head. I love Aquatopia... although I guess I'm in the minority.>> I agree. I love Aquatopia and all of Port Discovery. I would say it's more like Discoveryland than Tomorrowland though.
Originally Posted By The Goddess Mara In looking at the wait times on the tip board for Tokyo DisneySea over at Deep Disney, it seems (merely through anecdotal evidence) that Tower of Terror has greatly boosted attendance at the park. The lines for more attractions seem to be longer than they were before. Lee, does that seem accurate to you? And, if so, wouldn't it make sense, then, for OLC to build another E-Ticket (like Soarin', which is one of the best things WDI has ever done) to goose attendance even further?
Originally Posted By leemac ^^ I'm not convinced to be honest. There is no doubt that it is a popular attraction for AP-ers (ie. if visiting the resort it is up there with Pooh as the most sought-after FP) but I just don't see people hanging around all day like you used to in that first year. I've always been described as a doomsayer when it came to TDS so people will always interpret my comments accordingly but I still think OLC has an issue with TDS that isn't going away any time soon. The addition of new attractions would definitely help. There was an interesting post on a different thread by karlg recently that totally echoed my viewpoint on the park's attraction roster: weak at best. Can't for the life of me remember which one it was but it made for interesting reading. The overriding architecture isn't appealing to me but I can totally appreciate why people love the look of the park. What I can't get by is why so many (particularly US fans) rave about attractions like Indy (which is inferior to the DL original IMO), Journey (a great queue ruined by a very hoo-hum attraction with little to look at until the lava monster and then 1 quick thrill out of the mountain) and 20k (just plain awful - a disaster of an attraction). There just isn't the repeatability for me. Plus a lot of the shows and seasonal events have dumbed down the park which was always redeemed in my eyes through a very different take on shows (like Mermaid and Mystic Rhythms). Mythica is a Godsend (a perfect show) but Over the Waves and Big Band Beat have no place in a themed environment like TDS. Soarin' would definitely help. My concern would be that it isn't enough.
Originally Posted By TDR_Fan Personally, I think Tokyo DisneySea has the best E-tickets out of the Disney parks. Journey to the Center of the Earth, Indiana Jones Adventure, Tower of Terror, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and Sindbad's Storybook Voyage are all in my list of top ten Disney attractions. I certainly think it has a better attraction roster than any of the non-Magic Kingdom parks.
Originally Posted By leemac ^^ We know you do. I think OLC should use you in their marketing. I have never encountered anyone that ranks 20k in their Top 10 before. In fact I've never even heard anyone describe it as "good" or better before.
